


Quarantine

by FridayFirefly



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Hurt Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, MariBat, Maribat April Angst Apocalypse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:16:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 26,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23380786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FridayFirefly/pseuds/FridayFirefly
Summary: After years of Hawkmoth's terrorism, the Justice League intervened in Paris to mitigate the damage of Hawkmoth's powerful akumas. A Quarantine was put into place, halting all travel at the border without any warning. Ignoring input from Paris's own heroes, Ladybug and Chat Noir, the Justice League took over Paris, vowing to end the Quarantine only after Hawkmoth's defeat.Now, as life under the Paris Quarantine grows darker, Marinette finds herself relying more and more on the comfort of her friend (and crush) Damian Wayne, who she video chats with nearly every night.With no end to the Quarantine in sight, Marinette knows she has to take matters into her own hands. Fear and hopelessness have taken hold of her city. Either Marinette finds a way to end the Quarantine, or there may not be a city left to save once the Justice League defeats Hawkmoth.
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne
Comments: 276
Kudos: 937





	1. Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Justice League puts the Quarantine in place; Ladybug tries to fight back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The craziest part of this fic is that I actually started writing it before coronavirus became the big crisis of 2020. My fic doesn't have anything to do with coronavirus, despite its name. However, due to the fact that I’ve been in quarantine for over half of March (and haven’t left my house for twenty days) I’ve taken some inspiration from real life events.
> 
> Quarantine is my submission for the Maribat April Angst Apocalypse (though most of the angst is concentrated in the middle chapters, and it does have a happy ending). It's completely written, with 20 chapters, totaling 26,000 words. I already have a posting schedule set up and everything, so you can expect regular updates from me for once.
> 
> This fic occurs pre-episodes Heart Hunter and Miracle Queen, so Chloé still has redemption-arc potential and the identities of Rena Rouge, Carapace, Viperion, and Ryuko haven't been revealed to Hawkmoth.

**[Sunday October 18]**

The Quarantine started at midnight on the third Sunday in October. There wasn’t any warning, no emergency broadcasts or press conferences to get the word out. One moment Paris functioned as just another city in France. A moment later, a force field surrounded Paris, stopping all movement in and out of the city. There was chaos on the border for hours, as people desperately tried to get in and out of Paris. But it was no use - the force field was impenetrable. Before the sun rose that day, the force field had already gotten its name: _The Wall._

Marinette woke up that morning with a phone full of news alerts. She learned about The Wall in bits and pieces. All across the news were accounts of the chaos at the border, but not the full story as to how it got there or how long it would be staying. Just like every other resident of Paris, Marinette didn’t yet have the full story. Unlike her fellow Parisians, however, Marinette _needed_ the full story. Marinette was Ladybug, defender of Paris. The Wall threatened _her_ city, and she couldn't let that be.

At noon, the Justice League sent out an announcement to the people of Paris. Their city had been put under quarantine in order to prevent Hawkmoth's destruction from spreading. Mayor Bourgeoise, their democratically elected mayor, was being replaced by a Council chosen by the Justice League. Free will and civil liberties were being put on hold so that the Justice League could decide the fate of Paris. 

There was an immediate outcry, but protest was futile against the Justice League. They had too much power, too much authority for any single citizen to change their minds. There had always been speculation over the potential for Justice League intervention in Paris - especially since Hawkmoth's akumas had been growing in strength over the past few years. However, it had always been assumed that the Justice League would be helping _alongside_ Ladybug and Chat Noir. Instead, the Justice League ignored Paris's superheroes entirely.

Ladybug and Chat Noir attempted to make contact with the Justice League. They approached the Paris Council, demanding a say in the fate of Paris. Finally, that afternoon, they were brought in front of the Paris Council to plead their case.

"Chat Noir and I have worked hard to protect Paris from Hawkmoth for almost four years. While the situation is not perfect, Paris is still thriving, despite everything working against it." Cameras flashed as reporters took photos and videos of Ladybug's speech. Marinette simply kept her head high. After three years as Ladybug, she was used to having her picture taken. "What the Justice League has done to Paris is _wrong_. We demand that you take down The Wall."

"Ladybug. Chat Noir." A massive television screen turned on, revealing the face of Batman, head of the Justice League. "While the Justice League appreciates your input into the situation, your arguments do not change the reality of Paris's situation. The last akuma, _Exterminator,_ caused too much damage for the Justice League to ignore. Hawkmoth is a dangerous supervillain, and the two of you have been powerless to stop his attacks. The Paris Quarantine will not be broken until Hawkmoth is neutralized and behind bars."

"This is an injustice," protested Ladybug. "The people of Paris deserve their freedom."

"The decision has already been made. The Justice League expects both of you to be respectful of the wishes of the Council. You may continue your futile fight against Hawkmoth's akumas, but know that the Justice League will be working tirelessly to take down the real threat - Hawkmoth himself."

The screen turned off. Ladybug stood there in shocked silence, waiting for it to turn back on. She didn't expect the fight to be easy, but she thought that she would at least be able to negotiate with the Justice League. She didn't expect her arguments to be shut down entirely. 

"Ladybug, can we ask you a few questions?" a reporter called out from the back of the room.

"We won't be taking questions today," replied Chat Noir. He gently took Ladybug by the elbow and started to guide her out of the room. "Just know that no matter what, Ladybug and I will always be fighting for Paris's best interest."

Ladybug joined Chat on a half-hearted patrol. They made their way through the city in silence, both trying to wrap their heads around the gravity of the situation. This was an opponent they couldn't fight with Lucky Charm and Cataclysm. Ladybug wasn't knowledgeable in the intricacies of politics; she didn't know what petitions or protests would be necessary to get through to the Justice League.

Marinette returned home that night, feeling nothing but anger. She paced around her room, clenching and unclenching her fists. There was a storm raging inside her head. The Justice League was holding her city hostage, and there was nothing Ladybug could do about. Marinette _knew_ that the Quarantine was unjust. How could Batman do that to her city?

"Marinette, calm down." Tikki rested one hand on Marinette's shoulder. "You have to stay positive. Too much anger could attract an akuma."

"Sorry, Tikki." Marinette sighed. She stopped pacing and sat down in front of her desk. A half-finished dress sat in front of her, waiting to be finished, but Marinette didn't have the motivation to pick it up again. She considered texting Damian for support, but Marinette was so exhausted that she didn't think she could make it through a whole conversation. "I think I'll go to bed early tonight. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day."

"Goodnight, Marinette."

Marinette got ready for bed in a daze, feeling weary. She could already anticipate the nightmares that would follow her into sleep. It never mattered how much sleep she got - Marinette always woke up feeling like a failure, feeling like her world was ending. There was only one way for her life to get better, and that was for Paris to be free from Hawkmoth. Unfortunately, there was no solution in sight. Marinette didn't sleep well that night, but it was no surprise to her.


	2. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette has a nightmare; Damian comforts her.

**[Monday October 19]**

In her nightmares, the fight against Exterminator went differently. In her nightmares, Marinette never even got the chance to fight him, she only experienced the aftermath of the fight. In her nightmares, bodies littered the streets of Paris. Blood dripped down car windshields. Fires burned, spreading ash through the air. The streets were silent, void of any life whatsoever. Marinette passed by a whimpering dog, who sniffed the cold, dead hand of its owner. In her nightmares, Marinette couldn't fix the damage that Hawkmoth created.

During the real fight, it had been easy to tune the outside world out. Nothing mattered except beating Exterminator. Ladybug didn't have time to pay attention to the blood and the bodies. Once the battle was over, the Miraculous Cure took care of the aftermath. Paris went back to normal, and Marinette could put it all behind her.

In her nightmares, Marinette couldn't avoid the devastation. There was no fight, nothing else for her to focus on except the bloodshed.

Marinette didn't remember a lot about the real fight against Exterminator. Her mind tended to block out the memories of the worst akumas. What Marinette did know was that in the end, Exterminator was just a man. His name was Frank and he was a fifty-seven-year-old Parisian. He was an exterminator who had been employed by the city for thirty-five years until budget cuts had led to him being fired. When he learned that he was losing his job, his anger led to his akumatization.

The Exterminator was created with two goals in mind: exterminate the ungrateful people of France and acquire the Miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir. He used his first goal to achieve his second. He would kill anyone he laid his eyes on until Ladybug and Chat Noir willingly gave up their Miraculous to him. It took eight hours to defeat him. Almost half of a million people died in the fight, a quarter of the population of Paris. Their lives were all restored when Ladybug used her Miraculous Cure, but that didn't stop Ladybug's fear. Exterminator was the strongest akuma she and Chat Noir had ever fought before. What would happen when Hawkmoth finally made an akuma that they couldn't beat?

After the fight was won, Exterminator's name wasn't released to the press. His face was blurred out in newspapers, and Ladybug urged the people of France not to go searching for his identity. She told the people of France that he had suffered enough already, but her words were hollow and all of Paris knew it. Exterminator didn't suffer. Akuma victims never suffered. They had the luxury of not remembering anything after their possession. The people who died in the attack, they had to live with the memory of being killed. Ladybug and Chat Noir had to live with the memories of every death they couldn't prevent.

Marinette woke up sobbing, the night after The Wall went up. It was another nightmare, her fourth nightmare since Exterminator's attack. This one was worse, and even though the fact that Marinette knew that the nightmare was over, she still couldn't stop crying.

Marinette stumbled out of bed and grabbed her laptop off her desk. The harsh light of the laptop screen burned her eyes, but Marinette simply blinked the pain away. She quickly typed out and sent a message.

**[4:04 AM] Marinette: Are you awake right now?**

**Damian: I'm awake. Is something wrong?**

Marinette met Damian back when she was in collège and he was in middle school, when they were assigned to be each other's penpal. They weren't friends at first. Neither of them wanted to be penpals in the first place. Marinette was barely proficient in writing in English, and Damian found the concept of penpals to be immature and unnecessary to his education. However, their friendship grew over their year of writing letters to each other. Marinette's English improved enough that she felt comfortable expressing herself through her letters and Damian grew fond of Marinette's optimistic take on life. The penpal program ended, but Marinette and Damian continued to stay in touch over email, and eventually through video chatting and texting. Now, having been friends with Damian for almost six years, Marinette could confidently say that Damian was one of her favorite people in the world.

**Marinette: I had a nightmare and I don't want to be alone. I just need someone to talk to.**

**Damian: Do you want to video chat?**

**Marinette: Sure.**

Marinette's laptop screen lit up with Damian's video chat request notification. In the top corner of her laptop screen, Marinette's own face was shown to her. There was no sugarcoating it - Marinette looked terrible. Her hair was a frizzy mess, her eyes were red and puffy, and there were tear-tracks of mascara running down her cheeks because she forgot to take her makeup off before bed.

Then, Damian's face appeared. Marinette knew intellectually that Damian was attractive. His hair was dark and shiny, long enough to run your hands through but not so long that it looked shaggy. His eyes were onyx green and reminded Marinette of marble. His tan skin was flawless, not a blemish marred his perfect face. He was, without a doubt, the most attractive boy that Marinette had ever met. In her disheveled state, Marinette couldn't help but compare herself to Damian's perfectly put together appearance. It only served to make her more upset. Marinette wasn't usually the type to obsess over her appearance, but around Damian, she couldn't help but nitpick over the tiniest things. Even though she knew that he would care about her no matter what she looked like, she still worried about the way she looked, the way she talked, the way she dressed. Marinette always assumed that her crush on Damian would fade, just like her crush on Adrien, but it never went away. It lingered in the background of every interaction she had with him, a twinge of admiration and adoration that she felt every time she saw him.

"Are you okay?" asked Damian, his concern evident in the worried look on his face. "You've never complained about nightmares before."

"It's no big deal." Marinette tried to brush off his concern. She was beginning to feel embarrassed that she called him over something as trivial as a nightmare. "Sorry that I look like a mess right now." Marinette gestured to her face. "I've had a rough night."

"You don't have to apologize, Marinette. I think you look fine."

Marinette gave him a tired glare. "I definitely _don't_ look fine, but you can keep lying to me if you want to."

Damian somehow managed to look even more concerned, which made Marinette feel even worse for snapping at him. He was trying to be a nice person. He offered to help her through her nightmares, and instead of thanking him, she managed to screw everything up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take all of my anger out on you. I should've waited until tomorrow morning to text you."

"You don't have to apologize for being upset. Why don't you tell me what's wrong? It might make you feel better."

"I'm sure you've seen what's happening in Paris on the news. It's worrying me. The entire city is on edge and the authorities don't plan on taking down The Wall and ending the Quarantine until Hawkmoth is caught, which could potentially take years. I saw on the news that Ladybug and Chat Noir tried to negotiate with the new Paris Council, but they weren't able to do anything to help. Paris is my home, and I'm scared that something terrible is going to happen to it."

"Don't worry, Marinette. Things will get better with time. I'm sure that the Quarantine will end soon. There's no way they would leave it up for years."

"You promise?" Marinette hated herself for the vulnerability in her voice. Ladybug was supposed to be the stoic defender of Paris, not a scared little girl, begging for comfort from a boy thousands of miles away and thousands of miles out of her league.

"I promise."

Marinette gave Damian a weak smile. "Thanks for talking to me. I should go to bed. I still have school tomorrow morning."

"Goodnight, Marinette."

"Goodnight, Damian." 

Marinette ended the video chat and turned off her laptop. She stumbled to the bathroom to take off her makeup. The mascara came off with a simple makeup wipe, but the bags under her eyes were much more persistent. "I look like a raccoon," Marinette sighed, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

"Go back to bed, Marinette. You'll feel better after a few more hours of sleep," Tikki advised.

"I'll just have another nightmare. What use are three extra hours of sleep if I feel worse when I wake up?"

"You need those three extra hours of sleep to keep your strength up. I don't know what tomorrow will bring. You need to be prepared for anything."

"Okay." Marinette didn't have enough energy to argue with Tikki. She stumbled back to bed, already anticipated the pain that would haunt her dreams.

Marinette had nightmares. The worst part was that when she woke up, the nightmare was never over.


	3. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette helps a stranger; she goes to school and finds out that she won't be going back to class anytime soon.

**[Monday October 19]**

Marinette could feel a sense of wrong-ness in the chilly air on her walk to school. The entire city was holding its breath, waiting for Hawkmoth's next akuma. Marinette kept her eyes on her surroundings, looking for any sign of trouble.

"Help! Thief!" Marinette heard screaming coming from behind a building. She sprinted over to the entrance to the alleyway, but by then the thief was already gone. A young woman was on her knees on the ground, looking dazed, all alone. There was a grocery bag on the ground next to her, baby formula and diapers spilling out onto the concrete.

"Are you alright?" asked Marinette. She held out her hand and helped the woman back up onto her feet.

"I'm fine. I just- He stole my purse. I- I didn't even want to go outside in the first place. I hate walking the streets of Paris alone, but I had to stock up on formula and diapers because I was scared that the stores would run out. And usually, my husband would go and get them, but he's in Marseille on a business trip and now he can't get back home and I had to leave Sébastien, my baby, with my neighbor and- and- and I can't get upset, because if I get upset than Hawkmoth will akumatize me, and then Giselle will have to watch Séb even longer, and she's already doing me a huge favor, and-"

"Breathe," said Marinette. "I'll help walk you to the police station, and you can report your stolen purse."

The woman shook her head. "I have to get home to Séb."

"Alright, then I'll walk you home." Marinette gathered the formula and diapers back into the bag.

"Are you sure? Don't you have school?"

Marinette shrugged. "I've been tardy before, and I'll be tardy again. It's more important to me that you get home to your baby safely."

The woman's eyes softened. "Thank you. I'm Alice, by the way."

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng. My parents own Tom & Sabine Patisserie Boulangerie."

"Oh, they make the best macaroons in all of Paris."

Marinette smiled. "We love to hear that."

Marinette chatted with Alice as the walked home, trying to help take Alice's mind off of the pain she was going through. Separated from her husband, taking care of her newborn baby all by herself, her purse stolen from her - Alice was suffering, and there was nothing that Ladybug could do to make it better. Marinette, on the other hand, was actually useful in this case. By the time they made it to Alice's apartment, Marinette had gotten Alice to agree to let Marinette babysit Séb for her since Alice didn't have anyone else to watch him.

"We just moved to Paris two weeks ago, Victor and I. If we were still in Lyon, my Mother could watch Séb, but we haven't found a babysitter in the city yet."

"I could babysit," offered Marinette.

"No, I couldn't ask that of you."

"I'm experienced in babysitting. Trust me, babies are much easier than toddlers. It wouldn't be any trouble at all to watch Séb when you need to run errands. We would have to schedule around my classes, but other than that I'm almost always free." It was a lie, but it was a harmless lie. Marinette felt a deep burning desire to help Alice, a desire to help her as Marinette where Ladybug failed her.

"I suppose if you're free, it would be helpful to have someone to watch him."

"I'm absolutely willing to help."

"Alright. If you give me your number, we can coordinate. How much do you get paid for your other babysitting jobs."

"Nadja pays me $10 an hour to babysit Manon, but that's for a five-year-old. Séb is a baby, so I'll babysit for $7.50."

Alice shook her head. "If you get $10 an hour from your other babysitting jobs, then I'll be paying you the same."

Marinette felt guilty accepting the money, but she decided not to push the argument. "Okay. But only if you promise me that you'll report your stolen purse."

Alice let out a surprised laugh. "I will, Marinette, I promise. You don't have to worry about me."

When they finally made it back to Alice's apartment, Alice offered to make Marinette a cup of coffee, and get her something to eat. Marinette wanted to agree, but she was already late to school. By the time Marinette got to Françoise Dupont, she was over an hour late. She walked into the classroom, expecting to face a judgmental classroom, only to find that there were barely any students in the classroom. Alya, Kim, Alix, Juleka, and Nathanial were the only students present. There was no teacher, just an empty desk at the front of the room.

"Marinette, you're here!" exclaimed Alya. "I got worried when you never texted me back."

"Where is everyone? Where's Ms. Bustier?"

"They didn't come to school today," said Nathanial.

"Barely anyone did. This is probably the lowest attendance has ever been," reported Alya.

"Everyone expected school to be canceled, at least for a couple of days, but Principal Damocles never released anything," Alix added.

"Should we just go home?" asked Marinette.

Alya shrugged. "Ms. Mendeleiev is supposed to be supervising us, and she told us to stay in our classroom. She went back to her classroom, and we've all just been messing around on our phones, waiting for her to come back."

"Okay. I have cards in my backpack if we want to play a game."

Alya perked up. "Sure."

The group of six played spoons for half an hour, then moved on to go fish, rummy, and spit. After two hours of card games, Ms. Mendeleiev came back into the room.

"You are all required to go home for lunch. Don't bother returning to school, there won't be a teacher to take your attendance."

"Will there be school tomorrow?" asked Marinette.

"I don’t know. Principal Damocles is at a meeting with the Head of the Department of Education on the Paris Council right now, trying to figure out how to best handle the situation. If school does end up being canceled, it will be on the school’s website, so make sure you check that tomorrow morning before you leave your houses.”

"Are we still going to graduate from lycée on time?" Alya asked. "If we miss too much school will they hold us back?"

"I'm sorry, I don't have any answers for you." Ms. Mendeleiev rarely gave out apologies; in this case, she seemed too defeated to complain about the students asking too many questions. "Just go home, all of you."

Marinette felt uncomfortable walking through the empty courtyard. On a normal day, it would be filled with students eating lunch. Today it was completely abandoned. "See you soon," said Alya.

"See you soon," Marinette parroted back.

Marinette kept her head down on the walk home, glancing over her shoulder every few moments just in case. The streets of Paris didn't feel safe. There was a menace in the air, the threat of an akuma loomed over the city like a hurricane on the horizon.

"I'm home," Marinette called out as she walked into the bakery. She then did a double-take. The bakery was half-empty, their normal lunch crowd nowhere to be seen.

"Welcome home, Marinette," said Sabine. "We just got an alert from the school website. School has been canceled for the rest of the week, to minimize the risk of akuma attacks."

Marinette frowned. "That's a stupid idea. We can't stop living our lives just because of Hawkmoth."

"It is what it is," sighed Sabine. "Why don't you take your schoolbag up to your room, and then come back down and help your Father frost the cookies."

"Okay, Maman." Marinette ran her schoolbag up to her room, throwing it into her closet. There was no need to get her textbooks out and study - she had an entire week before she even had to think about school.

One half of her was relieved. No school meant that she had more time to patrol the streets of Paris, stopping criminals like the thief who mugged Alice that morning. It also meant that Marinette didn't have to come up with any lame excuses when she needed to transform into Ladybug.

The other half of her was furious. The Justice League's meddling was now interfering with Marinette's education. Children all across Paris were now forced to stay home from school, forced to halt their education all because of a Quarantine that never should have started in the first place. It was maddening.

Marinette took a deep breath. "Things will get better with time."

All the platitudes in the world couldn't stop the dread that was seeping into Marinette's mind. Nothing, not even Damian's hopeful words, could stop the anxiety that threatened to choke the hope out of Marinette's life.


	4. Desperation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An akuma attacks; Chat's life is put in peril.

**[Tuesday October 20]**

Fifty-eight hours after The Wall went up, Hawkmoth sent out an akuma.

"I am Desperation, and I will tear down The Wall. Soon, those trapped within Paris will be reunited with the outside world. The people of Paris, imprisoned for crimes they never committed, will be granted amnesty, and the city will once more be free."

Ladybug examined Desperation for a few moments, waiting for Chat Noir to show up. The woman was dressed in business casual: a blazer and slacks. Her entire outfit was grayscale, except for a brightly colored button, pinned to the lapel of her blazer. In her right hand, she held a smartphone, which she used to fire out explosive blasts of energy.

"What do we know?" Chat asked as he landed on the rooftop beside Ladybug.

"She calls herself Desperation. Her primary goal is to tear down The Wall. The akuma is either in the button on her lapel or in the smartphone. Watch out for the energy blasts, I'm not sure whether or not they're fatal."

"Got it."

The fight was easy, at first. Desperation wasn't interesting in causing damage to Paris, and as long as Ladybug and Chat kept their distance and avoided the energy blasts, Desperation couldn't touch them. However, as time passed it became clear that their current strategy wasn't going to work. To break Desperation's akumatized object, they would have to get close to her, within range of her energy blasts.

"I'll try dodging in and out. If I'm fast enough, I might be able to Cataclysm her phone before she can hit me," suggested Chat. 

Ladybug furrowed her brow. "I'm not sure that I like that plan. You'll be putting yourself in danger."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take. For Paris."

"For Paris," Ladybug echoed.

Chat's idea was a good one, but it still didn't work. Desperation was quick, and her reflexes were too good to catch her off guard. After Chat's third failed attempt to Cataclysm Desperation's phone, Ladybug and Chat regrouped to make a new plan. 

"I'll distract Desperation with my Lucky Charm. You stealth up behind Desperation, and Cataclysm her phone while she isn't paying attention."

"What's our plan if the phone isn't the akuma?" 

Ladybug thought about it for a moment. "Even if the phone isn't where the akuma is hiding, it should be easier to fight her if she doesn't have her energy blasts."

"Sounds good to me," said Chat. "I'll circle the block and approach her from behind."

Chat ran down the alleyway, out of sight. Ladybug re-emerged to join the fight, only to see the tell-tale purple haze surrounding Desperation's face. She was in communication with Hawkmoth.

"I don't care about gaining their Miraculous. I only agreed to join you so that I could tear down The Wall." Desperation briefly paused, then responded, "I don't care about your desires, Hawkmoth. I _need_ the Paris Quarantine to end. Otherwise, I'll never see my children again. I'll be trapped in Paris, while they grow up without a mother." Another brief pause. "I'll get you what you want in time, but right now, the needs of my children come first." The purple haze lifted, and Desperation was back in the fight.

It was hard to stay focused during a fight when you secretly agreed with the villain. Every one of Desperation's monologues reflected what Ladybug and Chat Noir also believed in. Tearing down the wall, restoring freedom to Paris, reuniting families separated by the Quarantine. Ladybug wrinkled her nose in annoyance. For once, it seemed that she and Hawkmoth had a common goal - tearing down The Wall and ending the Paris Quarantine. However, she still had to stop Desperation.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called. A flash of pink light, then a framed photograph landed in her hands. Inside the picture frame was a stock photo of a family portrait. Ladybug glanced around, trying to find a connection, but nothing jumped out at her. Just the picture frame and Desperation.

A thought popped into Ladybug's head, but she hesitated. Could it truly be that simple? She took one step forward, then another.

"Desperation. I know that you're upset, but please, try and resist the influence of Hawkmoth for a few moments, so that we can talk."

"I won't stop until I tear down The Wall," snarled Desperation.

Ladybug held out the picture frame. The picture inside wasn't a stock photo - it was Desperation's family. "Think of your children. Think of the example that you're setting. Is violence the best option here?"

For a split second, the haze reappeared, but Desperation managed to fight off Hawkmoth's influence. "This is the only option. I need the Quarantine to end so that I can see my children again."

"I promise you that Chat Noir and I will do whatever it takes to bring down The Wall and end the Quarantine. But first, we need to purify your akuma. Will you tell me where it is?"

“I-” Desperation began hesitantly, before her eyes narrowed, locked on something behind Ladybug. “I don’t believe you, Ladybug. I can't trust that you’re not working with the Justice League. If I want The Wall to fall, I’m going to have to take it down myself.” Desperation whipped out her phone and pointed it at Ladybug. 

“Ladybug, move!” shouted Chat Noir. 

Ladybug jumped to the left, narrowly avoiding the energy blast. Chat rushed to her side. “I was almost in a position to Cataclysm her, but _they_ caught Desperation’s attention.” Chat’s voice dripped with contempt as he stared at something in the background. 

Ten officers of the Justice League stood off to the side, weapons pointed at Desperation. 

“What are they doing?” Ladybug's voice was shrill with outrage, her headache growing. “Are they planning on shooting her? She’s innocent in this. Hawkmoth is the villain, not her.”

Ladybug yo-yoed her way over to the officers, landing in front of them. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Stand down, Ladybug and Chat Noir.” A uniformed officer said. “The Justice League and the Paris Council have this one handled.”

“The Justice League _caused_ this akuma. Chat and I are trying to fix this. We almost defeated her, before you caught her attention.”

The officer looked unconcerned. “Paris is under Justice League jurisdiction. Any villains are our responsibility to defeat.”

“You don’t know _anything_ about fighting akumas,” snapped Ladybug. Her earrings beeped signifying that she had only a minute left. “Fuck.”

Ladybug slipped into an alleyway to detransform. “Spots off.”

Tikki was visibly exhausted. “Cookies?”

“In my purse."

Marinette focused on taking deep breaths while Tikki ate. She knew that she needed to calm down and keep a clear head, but it was hard when her emotions were so tumultuous.

"Ready to go?" asked Tikki.

Marinette nodded. "Spots on."

Ladybug went back into battle fighting twice as hard. She just wanted the attack to be over. She was tired of fighting Desperation, tired of dealing with the Justice League, tired of the nightmares that plagued her every night.

They fought for another half an hour before disaster struck. Chat was hit by one of Desperation's energy blasts. One moment he and Ladybug were discussing strategy, the next moment Chat was ten feet away, his body limp on the ground. Ladybug sprinted to Chat's side and checked his pulse. He was unconscious - still breathing, but only barely. Every shallow breath sounded like it could be his last one.

Ladybug saw red. "Lucky Charm!" She snarled. The object fell into her hand, a black and red tennis ball. Ladybug didn't even have to think about her strategy. She threw the tennis ball as hard as she could at a nearby window. The ball bounced off, just as Ladybug anticipated, and collided right into Desperation's hand - the hand that held her smartphone. Ladybug threw her yo-yo, catching the phone before it hit the ground and pulling it towards her. As soon as it reached her hand, Ladybug smashed the phone against the ground. No butterfly emerged - it wasn't the akuma.

Ladybug's breath caught in her throat as she let out a choked sob. Chat was dying, and she made a mistake. The akuma was in Desperation's pin, not in the phone. Ladybug wasted time, precious time, and Chat would suffer for it.

"Get it together," Ladybug gasped, trying to steady her breathing. "Just get the pin. Get the pin and it's all over."

"Join me, Ladybug, and together we can end the Quarantine," Desperation offered.

"You hurt my best friend. I would _never_ join you." And with that, Ladybug leaped back into the fight.

Without her phone, Desperation was crippled. The fight was over in less than thirty seconds. Ladybug ripped the blazer off of Desperation and snapped the pin. The akuma fluttered out, and Ladybug caught it instantly. 

"Be cured, little butterfly," murmured Ladybug. The purified white butterfly fluttered away in the wind. Desperation was gone, and in her place was a dazed woman, holding her phone in her hand.

"Mama? Mama, where'd you go?" a tiny voice called out of the phone speaker.

"I'm right here, Katie." The woman looked up at Ladybug. "W-Where am I? Was I akumatized?"

Ladybug didn't respond - she had more important things to worry about. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

The Miraculous Cure spread across the city, restoring it to its former glory. Chat Noir, previously lying prone on the sidewalk, was now sitting up, unharmed. Ladybug breathed a sigh of relief.

"Chat? Are you okay?"

"Just peachy, m'lady."

Ladybug gave him a strained smile. "Could we meet up tonight?"

"Sure. Where and when?"

"Seven o'clock. Meet at our base."

"See you then."

Ladybug's earring beeped, signifying two minutes remaining. "Bug out."

Marinette detransformed as soon as she got back to her bedroom. She glanced at the clock. 12:45 PM. She and Chat spent almost three hours fighting Desperation, and she was one of the easiest akumas they had fought all month. Marinette was exhausted, mentally and physically. "We can't keep doing this."

"Keep your hopes up, Marinette. You're doing wonderfully."

"Chat almost _died_ , Tikki." Marinette stared at Tikki, horror in her eyes as the reality of the battle started to sink in. 

"The Miraculous Cure would have brought him back."

"That's not the point. This is getting too difficult for Chat and me to handle. I want to bring in more Miraculous users as permanent holders, to give us some backup."

Tikki frowned. "It's a lot of responsibility to place into someone's hands, especially in such trying times. However, you _are_ the Guardian of the Miraculous. It's your decision to make."

"I'm going to talk it over with Chat tonight, see what he thinks. Hopefully, he'll agree with me. If not..." Marinette shrugged. "If not, we'll try our best until that day that our best isn't good enough."


	5. Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Adrien reveal their identities to each other; they add more members to the Miraculous Team.

**[Tuesday October 20]**

The base wasn't much, but Ladybug and Chat Noir didn't have many options. They were both sixteen - too young to buy or rent an actual building. So they worked out of a foreclosed florist's shop on a back street in Paris. They always entered through the back door - there was practically no chance of them being spotted, not when no windows were facing the back door, and all the windows of the florist's shop were boarded up. It wasn't fancy, but it was safe, and that was what mattered.

Ladybug arrived a few minutes before seven o'clock. Chat wasn't there yet, giving her a few moments to prepare. Out of her backpack, she grabbed the Miracle Box and set it on the table. Normally, Marinette kept the box at home, in the back of her closet, but tonight she would need it. She also pulled out some supplies that she had gathered. Macaroons and camembert slices to refuel their kwami in an emergency, and bandages and antiseptic cream in case they got injured outside of the range of the Miracle Cure.

The sound of the back door opening pulled Ladybug's attention away from her backpack. "Hello, Chat."

Chat gave Ladybug a tired smile. "Good evening, M'lady."

"I brought macaroons," Ladybug held up the box. "I got them from that bakery you like."

Chat's eyes brightened. "Thank you!" He pulled out a lemon macaroon and took a bite from it. "So what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

"There are two things I wanted to suggest. The first is that we might want to consider bringing in more Miraculous holders full-time."

"Give Rena Rouge and Carapace their Miraculous to keep?" Chat sounded interested in the idea.

"Viperion and Ryuka, too. Maybe even Chloé Bourgeoise, though not with the Bee Miraculous. I've been looking into her, and I think she might be a match for the Kaalki, the Miraculous of the Horse."

"Five new superheroes would certainly help to make our lives easier. Why don't we start with Rena Rouge and Carapace, to see how it goes. Then move onto Viperion, Ryuko, and Chloé, to make sure they're adjusting well to the responsibility."

Ladybug nodded. "Sounds good."

"So what's your second suggestion."

Ladybug hesitated. Neither she nor Chat Noir wanted to reveal their identities, but it seemed that it had become inevitable. Hawkmoth's akumas were getting stronger and they needed to get stronger in response. The secrets between them could only hurt them, and their identities were the greatest secret of all. 

"I think that we should reveal our identities to each other."

Chat's eyes widened. "Really? After all this time?"

Ladybug nodded. "We can't have secrets between each other. What if one of us can't get away from our civilian life to transform, and the other gets hurt because of it? We need better communication, and the best way to do that is to get to know each other in our civilian lives, as well as our superhero lives."

"You don't need to convince me, m'lady. I might not be in love with you anymore, but I still value our friendship more than anything else in the world."

"Okay." Ladybug quashed the anxiety bubbling up in her chest. "On three?"

"One," said Chat.

"Two," Ladybug echoed.

"Three," the two said in unison.

"Spots off." "Claws in."

Marinette Dupain-Cheng stared at Adrien Agreste. "No way," she breathed out.

"I'm kind of kicking myself for not seeing the resemblance before right now."

Marinette nodded, not taking her eyes off of him. "The puns should have been my first clue."

"You love my Chat puns. And, apparently, my physics puns too."

"I- you aren't disappointed, are you?"

"Are you kidding me? I was scared that I would detransform and all you would see was a stuck-up model. You could never disappoint me, Marinette."

Marinette smiled as the anxiety dissipated. "You could never disappoint me either, Adrien. I know that you're not a 'stuck-up model'. I know your true self - a dork who makes puns and can't beat me at Ultimate Mecha Strike III."

Adrien laughed. "I just can't believe that I've been friends with you _and_ your superhero alter ego. That must be a new level of friendship - friendship squared." 

"The friend square... I like it."

"It wasn't _always_ a friend square though," Tikki interrupted, teasing smile on her face.

Marinette flushed red. "I was _thirteen_ , Tikki. Can't I leave my embarrassing celebrity crush in the past."

"Nope. Admit it."

"But-"

"Tikki and I put up with your ridiculous love square for years. Do you have any idea how frustrating that was?" asked Plagg.

"Fine," Marinette sighed. "Adrien, remember back in collège, when Chat Noir had a crush on Ladybug."

Adrien rubbed his neck. "Sorry about how obsessive I was back then."

"You weren't the only obsessive one," Marinette cringed slightly. "I had a pretty bad crush on you too, back in collège."

"But that means-"

"That we both had a crush on each other, and never managed to figure it out." Marinette groaned. "We're the two most oblivious people on the planet."

"You aren't the _most_ oblivious Ladybug and Chat Noir we've ever seen," said Plagg. "Remember when Claude and Agathe got married before their identity reveal."

Tikki narrowed her eyes at him. "Remember how it was _your fault_ that they never revealed their identities. Because _you_ convinced Agathe to keep her superhero identity a secret from her fiancé until after they got married."

"It was pretty funny, though, wasn't it."

"You are impossible," Tikki scoffed.

"At least we aren't the worst," said Adrien.

"At least we have that. Do you want to come with me and deliver Rena and Carapace their Miraculous."

Adrien perked up. "I get to know their identities."

"Yes. And if they perform well, I think we should reveal ours to them at the end of the week."

"Really? But how do we know that we can trust them?"

"You already trust them. Alya and Nino are Rena Rouge and Carapace."

"Wow. Okay. Uh, I must be more oblivious than I thought."

"We don't often tell our holders this, but there is a quality of the Miraculous that helps to keep your identity a secret. It's not necessarily that you're oblivious, it's that without clear proof, the Miraculous keeps you from making the connection," said Tikki.

"That makes me feel a little bit better. Ready to go?"

"Yep. Spots on!"

"Claws out!"

On the way to Alya’s house, Ladybug realized that for the first time since before the Quarantine started, she didn’t feel like the whole world was crumbling. She finally felt like she had a handle on the world around her. 

Ladybug knocked on Alya’s window and waited for the other girl to open the window up. 

“Ladybug? Chat Noir? What are you two doing here? Is there an akuma?” Alya asked. 

“No need to worry,” said Chat. “We just have a gift to deliver.”

“Alya Césaire. You have been chosen as the permanent holder of the Fox Miraculous. Should you accept, you will take on the responsibility of fighting akumas full-time.”

“I accept. Of course, I accept.” There wasn't a trace of doubt in Alya’s voice. 

Ladybug handed Alya the black box containing the fox necklace. 

“Welcome to the team, Rena,” said Ladybug. “You’ll be happy to know that Carapace will also be joining the team full-team, alongside you.”

Alya grinned, “Nino will be ecstatic. He's been going stir-crazy - his parents won't let him leave the house, because of all the craziness over the Quarantine."

"Well, we'll go get him is Miraculous pronto," said Chat. "See you soon, Rena Rouge."

"Bye Ladybug, bye Chat," Alya called out as Ladybug swung away.

Nino's house was only two blocks away, so they were at his window in no time at all.

"What's up, Ladybug?" asked Nino. "There isn't an akuma or anything, is there?"

"This visit is for good news only," Ladybug explained. "Nino Lahiffe, you have been chosen as the permanent holder of the Turtle Miraculous. Should you accept, you will take on the responsibility of fighting akumas full-time.”

"Dude, of course, I accept."

"Good," said Chat. "I don't know if Alya would have forgiven you if she became part of the full-time team and you didn't."

"Alya is a part of the team too?" Nino's eyes lit up.

"We just delivered her Miraculous a few minutes ago."

"Sweet!" Nino grinned as he opened up his Miraculous box. "What's up, Wayzz."

"I am very excited to work with you full time," said Wayzz. "It is an honor to be your kwami."

"It's an honor to wear the Turtle bracelet. And it's an honor to be chosen to be a part of the team. I promise I won't let you guys down."

"We trust you completely," Ladybug said. It wasn't a lie. For the first time in days, she felt hope spark within her. Maybe, just maybe, with her friends beside her, everything would turn out okay.


	6. Ration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Quarantine gets more severe; Marinette receives bad news twice over.

**[Wednesday October 21]**

Every time Marinette got her hopes up, they were shattered. Her mood was like a pendulum, every time she felt a belief flicker of hope, it was snatched away from her, and she felt defeated again. The day after the identity reveal was no exception.

“The Paris Council has just announced that the city will be undergoing a food ration until the end of the Quarantine. Supplies will be shipped into the city and delivered to families based on individual needs. Citizens are advised to remain at home as much as possible until the Justice League neutralizes Hawkmoth's threat." Nadja Chamack reported, looking just as defeated as Marinette felt, her hair limp and a hopeless look in her eyes.

Marinette slammed her laptop closed, tears pricking the corner of her eyes. The Justice League was starving her city and all she could do was watch helplessly from her bedroom.

"Don't worry Marinette." Tikki began. 

Marinette couldn't hear it. Not today. Now when her whole world was crashing down around her, one little piece at a time. "I'm going to get breakfast," Marinette mumbled, ignoring Tikki.

Marinette walked downstairs to the bakery to grab something to eat for breakfast. It was nearing noon, but Marinette had taken to sleeping in ever since school was canceled. Marinette paused on the second to last step, as she heard the worried voices of her parents talking. 

"What are we going to do, Tom? I called and asked - the food ration isn't making allowances for restaurants and bakeries. We're going to run out of flour and sugar within a week," said Sabine.

"We'll see what happens. For all we know, the Quarantine might end before we even run out."

"And if it doesn't?"

"I don't know what we'll do if the ration doesn't end, Sabine. We'll just have to hold out hope." 

Marinette stifled an angry sob. The bakery - her family's livelihood - was going to close. 

"What are we going to tell Marinette? She's going to be heartbroken."

"I'll go break the news to her," Marinette heard her Father offer. "She'll be upset, but she has to find out eventually."

Marinette flung herself up the stairs, her whole body trembling in anger and upset. She slammed the trapdoor behind her and collapsed on the floor next to it.

"Marinette? Can I talk to you?" Tom asked through the trapdoor.

"I already heard you and Maman talking," Marinette sobbed. "I hate this. I hate the Quarantine. I hate the Paris Council. Most of all, I _hate_ the Justice League. I hope their whole organization burns to the ground."

"Sweetheart, you don't need to be angry. The Quarantine is a temporary thing - it won't last forever. Once it's over, everything will go back to normal again."

"They're ruining everything," Marinette cried. She felt Tikki gently settle down onto her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "I can't go to school anymore. The bakery is going to closing down. Paris, my hometown and favorite city in the world, doesn't feel safe."

"I promise, it will all be over soon."

Her Father's promise felt empty. Marinette knew that nothing would be okay until the Quarantine was over. "I don't want to talk anymore."

"Okay. Your Mother and I will be downstairs if you need us."

Marinette stumbled over to her bed and collapsed into it with a groan. "I just want a little bit of good news for once, Tikki."

"I can't give you that, Marinette. In fact, I have even worse news to deliver."

Marinette looked up at Tikki with wide, tearful eyes. "What could be worse than everything that's happening already."

"I've never told you before how the Miraculous Cure works because you've never asked. But now, I think you need to know. The Cure runs on hope. If the population of Paris doesn't believe in the Miraculous holders, then the Cure won't work. And I can feel that belief fading already."

Marinette froze. "You mean, I won't be able to use the Cure anymore?"

"You can still use it, but it won't be as effective. Your body will begin to take the burden of the Cure. The more times you use the Cure, the weaker you'll feel. Eventually..." Tikki paused as she let out a hiccuping sob. " I've seen it happen to Miraculous wielders before. It's a terrible thing to watch, and I never wanted to see it happen again. Marinette, as long as you continue using the Miraculous Cure, your life is in danger."

"I might die?" Marinette had never seriously thought about dying as Ladybug before. Her suit was near-impenetrable, and when she used the Miraculous Cure, all of the damage to her body was gone. When she was Ladybug, Marinette felt invincible. 

Now, the thought of death weighed heavily on her mind. Chat had almost died the day before - it hadn't even been a whole twenty-four hours since that disastrous battle, and it already felt like a lifetime. If it wasn't for the Miraculous Cure, Adrien, one of her best friends two times over, would surely be dead. Someday soon, that might be Marinette, dying on the Paris streets, but there would be no Miraculous Cure to save her then.

"Tikki, what do I do?"

Tikki shook her head. "There is no easy way to fix this. The people of Paris feel hopeless. They don't believe in what the Justice League is doing, and your inability to take down The Wall has caused their faith in you to fade as a result. This Quarantine is demoralizing the entire city."

"Chat and I tried to get the Justice League to end it, but they refused. Not until Hawkmoth is defeated."

"Then there is only one solution. Ladybug needs to get to work on defeating Hawkmoth, and civilian Marinette needs to find a way to bring hope back to the people of Paris."

Marinette knew that it was unfair to put that much responsibility on her shoulders. Defeat a supervillain _and_ bring hope back to a city held hostage. She was only sixteen. However, the consequence of failure was death, which was one hell of a motivator. 

"Guess I'd better get to work."


	7. Argument

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Damian argue; Marinette feels hopeless.

**[Wednesday October 21]**

Three hours into Marinette's brainstorming session, her laptop started beeping out an alert.

_**Damian** requests to video chat._

Marinette glanced around her desk. It was covered in papers detailing her dual plans - the first, to defeat Hawkmoth with the help of her team of superheroes, and the second, to raise the morale of the people of Paris so that her Miraculous Cure wouldn't shut down completely. Marinette quickly pushed all of the papers on her desk into a neat pile, then shoved the pile into the first open drawer she saw. 

"Hey, Damian," Marinette said.

"Hello, Marinette. How are you holding up?"

Marinette shrugged. "Not well. I don't know if you've been keeping up with the news much, but the Paris Council is instituting a food ration. My parents are going to have to shut down the bakery."

"They aren't making exceptions for people who make a living preparing and selling food?" Damian sounded shocked. "I knew that a food ration was being put into place, but I didn't realize it was that severe."

"I don't think that the Council wants people going out to eat anymore. It's recommended that Parisians stay inside as much as possible. All the schools in Paris have shut down, and no one knows when they're going to open back up again."

"That's terrible."

Marinette nodded. "The Justice League is strangling all of the hope out of Paris."

Damian frowned. "The Justice League is trying to stop a supervillain before he destroys all of Europe."

Marinette wasn't sure if she heard Damian correctly. "That might be their intentions, but this quarantine is causing more harm than good. The people of Paris aren't allowed to live their lives anymore."

"It's a small sacrifice for the greater good. Hawkmoth has to be stopped at some point. We can't just let him go free, causing endless destruction to Paris. I'm sure you've been directly affected by his violence, Marinette, even if you don't like to talk about it. Surely you understand why he needs to be stopped."

"Ladybug and Chat Noir can stop him."

Damian audibly scoffed, a sound that made Marinette flinch back in shock. "Ladybug and Chat Noir are second-rate heroes who have made little to no progress in the three years that they've been fighting him. If they had done their job, Paris wouldn't be under quarantine right now."

"Than the Justice League should work with Ladybug and Chat Noir, instead of ignoring them entirely."

"Are you surprised that the Justice League doesn't want to work with Ladybug and Chat Noir? They're practically cooperating with terrorists. The Justice League doesn't put up with that."

"Akumas aren't terrorists. They're victims of Hawkmoth, who have their own emotions taken hostage, twisted against their will. No one _chooses_ to become an akuma. Ladybug and Chat Noir aren't 'cooperating with terrorists'. They're trying to stop Hawkmoth without endangering the lives of his _hostages_."

"Maybe they shouldn't have allowed Hawkmoth to akumatize them in the first place. Besides, Ladybug and Chat Noir just let the former akumas roam free after the fights. The former akumas are never punished. It shows exactly how weak and ineffective Ladybug and Chat Noir really are."

Rage bubbled up in Marinette's chest. "You don't understand _anything_." 

Damian's eyes narrowed. "What don't I understand, exactly. In Gotham, the superheroes put the villains in jail. Does it work differently in Paris?"

"Hawkmoth isn't like a Gotham villain. He uses innocent civilians to do his dirty work, uses them as puppets so that he doesn't put himself in danger."

"I've seen videos, Marinette. I've seen that Hawkmoth has made himself vulnerable before. But instead of taking advantage of his weakness to stop him, Ladybug and Chat Noir messed up. They mess up every time. That's why Paris is under quarantine right now. Not because the Justice League is being unfair. Because Ladybug and Chat Noir failed Paris."

Marinette's breath hitched as she desperately tried to stop herself from crying. Damian must have been able to tell that he struck a nerve, but he probably thought that Ladybug was just someone that Marinette admired. He didn't know that every criticism of Ladybug was a criticism of Marinette herself. He just kept digging the knife down deeper into her, completely unaware of exactly how personal his words were to her. 

"Shut up," Marinette said slowly, making sure Damian heard every word. "You listen to me. The past three years dealing with Hawkmoth's terrorism have been hell, don't get me wrong, but those three years were nothing compared to just four days under quarantine. Paris used to have hope, and the Justice League choked it out."

"Don't be so dramatic. The Quarantine will be over in less than a month, and everything will go back to normal."

Marinette took a deep breath, and pinched the inside of her elbow, trying to stop the tears that were forming in the corners of her eyes. "The Justice League is holding this city hostage. I'm not being dramatic. I'm reacting to the world around me - a world in which an organization of so-called heroes has shut down the largest city in France, separating families and ruining lives."

"The Justice League is just doing its job, protecting the world from supervillains."

"The Justice League and its quarantine are causing everyone in Paris to suffer."

"The Justice League is doing what it has to do to save Paris from a madman."

"And the people of Paris will suffer in the process."

"Sacrifices are sometimes necessary."

A tear slipped down Marinette's cheek. "You're wrong," she snapped, slamming the hang-up button as hard as she could, ending her call with Damian. He didn't understand. He never would. Without hope, she would die, her body withering away in order to save her city. Tears blurred Marinette's vision as she picked up a pillow off of her bed and screamed into it.

"Calm down, Marinette," Tikki urged.

"No." Marinette snapped. She couldn't stand Tikki's empty platitudes. All of Tikki's worthless advice had blurred together in Marinette's mind. _Calm down. Don't worry. Keep hope. Don't give up. It will all be over soon._ All of it was a lie. No amount of hope would end the Quarantine. It wouldn't be over soon - it would be over when Hawkmoth was defeated, and for all Marinette knew, that could be never. She might grow old and die under the Quarantine.

"Listen to me." Tikki snapped right back. "Get those plans out of your desk drawer _right now_."

"Why bother? What's the point?"

Tikki looked angrier than Marinette had ever seen before. " _The point_ is that I will _not_ have another Ladybug die on my watch. Get back to work, or I will find another Ladybug holder."

Marinette's breath hitched. "But-"

"I love you too much to watch you die."

"I'm not going to die." Marinette opened up the drawer, pulled the papers out, and started sorting them back into their piles.

"Then you have to choose to live. Hopelessness and passivity - that'll get you killed."

Marinette laptop beeped again. _**Damian** requests to video chat._ She clicked decline, without hesitation.

"This is me choosing to live." Marinette got back to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up folks, because it only gets angstier from here


	8. Weak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette uses the Miraculous Cure; she then faces the consequences of that choice.

**[Thursday October 22]**

It was the second akuma attack that day, and Marinette felt drained. However, she knew that she couldn't stop or take a break. If she wanted the people of Paris to have faith in Ladybug, they had to see her in action. If Paris saw Ladybug struggle, there would be no hope left in the city.

"Rena, you hang back and cast an illusion of me. Chat and Carapace, you accompany that illusion, to lend credibility. I'm going to sneak up behind and use the lucky charm to defeat Restaurantrix." Ladybug glanced down at the bowl of soup in her hands, still wishing that she had been given a real weapon to fight with.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir! Once I gain your Miraculous, you two will be the first to try my food. No one - not even the Justice League's food ration - will close down my restaurant!"

"You got it, Ladybug," said Rena.

"Alright, everyone get into positions and start your attack. I'll sneak up behind him and get his apron."

Ladybug snuck through a back alley, all the muscles in her body burning from exertion. She peeked around a corner and saw Chat, Carapace, and the illusion of herself approaching Restaurantrix.

"I'm sure your food is good, but this service is terrible," Ladybug heard Chat joke.

Despite how stressed she felt, Ladybug still managed to crack a smile at Chat's joke. She knew that she wouldn't be able to bear it if he changed from his usual lighthearted self, which was why despite all the new responsibilities piled on top of her, Ladybug wanted to keep her partner as far away from it as possible. At least them, Chat would still be able to be himself.

Akuma battles were much easier with Rena Rouge and Carapace assisting, Ladybug noted, as she snuck up behind Restaurantrix. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, she still made mistakes. Ladybug gasped as she tripped over a pothole in the road, spilling how soup onto her hands. Restaurantrix whipped around to see the source of the noise. In an instant, her Lucky Charm made sense. Ladybug tossed the bowl of hot soup at Restaurantrix's face. He reached his hands up to protect his face from the soup, and while he was distracted, Ladybug ripped the apron off of him.

"Be cured, little butterfly," said Ladybug. She reached down and picked the soup bowl up off the street, then threw it up in the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!" As the Miraculous Cure swept over the city for the second time that day, Ladybug felt a sharp pain in her chest. She gasped quietly but breathed through the pain. There was no sense in worrying her partner for no reason.

"These fights are getting easier with Rena and Carapace helping," said Chat. "I'm glad we have them full time."

"I'm glad too," said Ladybug, "But I can't stay long. Bug out."

Ladybug yo-yoed away, hoping to make it home before the pain became too much. It was like her lungs were on fire - every shallow breath was another knife to her chest. Finally, Ladybug landed in the alley behind her house and choked out, "Spots off."

Marinette curled up into the fetal position, arching her back in an attempt to take the pressure off of her lungs. "H-Hurts," Marinette gasped out.

"Breathe through it, Marinette," Tikki urged. "It will pass in a few minutes."

A few minutes felt like an eternity as Marinette sobbed between shallow breaths. The pain came and went like waves; at first, they were massive crashing tsunamis of agony, but they eventually faded into lapping waves of discomfort. "Tikki, I'm going to die," Marinette cried.

"Not today, you aren't. Let's get you up to your room. You'll feel better after a nap."

Marinette hesitantly pulled herself to her feet, wary that the waves of pain would return. "Will that happen every time I use the Miraculous Cure?"

"The strain that the Cure puts on your body will depend on how often you use the Cure and how much hope the people of Paris feel. You know, you should really tell the team - or at least Chat Noir - about the Cure. They're going to find out eventually, when they ask why you aren't using the Cure as often."

"You're probably right. I just don't want to worry them," sighed Marinette as she entered through the bakery front door. There were only two customers in the entire bakery. Marinette longed for the days when the lunch rush would bring a line out the door.

"Hello Maman and Papa," said Marinette as she walked past her parents.

Sabine narrowed her eyes. "I didn't know that you left the house."

I left a note on the fridge," Marinette explained. "I went over to Alya's house to help her babysit the twins."

"Next time tell us in person, don't leave a note. The streets can be dangerous."

Marinette nodded her head. "Sure." She considered asking her parents to take her to the doctor but decided against it. She already knew the cause of her pain, and she knew exactly how to fix it. A trip to the emergency room would just place more stress on her parents.

Marinette started up the stairs, hand on the railing, just in case. Half-way up the first flight, she could feel her chest tighten with every breath. Marinette reminded herself that all she had to do was get to the top of the stairs, then climb the ladder to her bedroom. Then she could lay down on her bed and rest. The problem was her lungs, which were barely getting any air in at all by the time Marinette made it to the top of the stairs. She collapsed onto a couch in her living room and focused on breathing. Every wheezing breath was a challenge, bringing another jolt of pain to her chest. Despite all the effort she was putting into trying to get air into her lungs, Marinette felt like she was suffocating. Black spots danced in front of her vision, and Marinette closed her eyes.

Eventually, the tightness in her chest eased up, and Marinette felt like she could finally breathe again. "T-Tikki. Can you get me a glass of water."

Marinette opened up her eyes to see Tikki fly across the room, water glass weighing her down. "Drink up."

"Thank you." Marinette took small sips of the water. She knew that there was a danger to choking on water now. Her weakened lungs might not be able to take it. "I'm scared," Marinette admitted.

"I'm scared too," Tikki whispered. "You're one of my favorite Ladybug holders. I don't want to see you die because of me."

"I won't," Marinette shook her head. "I'm not going to die. I refuse. I'm going to beat Hawkmoth."

Tikki smiled. "I'm glad you have hope."

Marinette got up off the couch. "I have to go and work on my plan. If I want to beat this, I have to get to work."

"That's the Marinette I know and love," cheered Tikki.

The trip of the ladder was hard, but Marinette now knew to pace herself. She for every one rung of the ladder, Marinette paused for thirty seconds to breathe. It made the trip up to her room a long one, but it was worth it when she made up to her bedroom in one piece.

"Time to put my plans in action," Marinette said to herself, pulling the papers out of the folder she was storing them in. "Time to save Paris."


	9. PTSD

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette makes a discovery about her mental health; she misses Damian more than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a shorter chapter, but I felt that I needed a chapter delving a little deeper into Marinette's mental health and all the things that she's feeling.

**[Friday October 23]**

Marinette was bored. She had spent all morning working on her plan to defeat Hawkmoth and restore hope to Paris but had hit roadblocks on both of the two sides of her plan. Step One to defeating Hawkmoth was to meet up with Adrien and explain to him the problem with the Miraculous Cure, but with his Father keeping him locked up at home, it was getting increasingly difficult for him to sneak out. The other side of the plan, restoring hope to Paris, was going a little better. She had come up with a list of possibilities, and her personal favorite was throwing a protest, to tell the Justice League that their intervention wasn't welcome in Paris. However, planning a city protest wasn't a one-person job. Marinette would need all of her friends to help her organize it. The problem was that most of her friends were stuck at home, their parents refusing to let them leave the house.

All that to say, Marinette had nothing to do. The problem with no school and no akuma attacks was that Marinette got bored quickly. Any other day, she would be using her unexpected free time to work on a design project. Today, Marinette just wanted to do something relaxing, to de-stress. So she decided to clean her room.

After a few hours, she had cleaned everything in her room except for her closet and had formed two heaping piles in the center of her room, one for donations and one for trash. She saved her closet for last, as it was the most untidy. She had gotten in the habit of shoving everything into her closet when she wanted her room to look tidy, so there was a mountain of things to be sorted, all laying in a heap.

Marinette pushed aside a pile of stuffed animals to reveal a poster-board out of the back of her closet. _Post Traumatic Stress Disorder._ Marinette did a project on PTSD in her middle school health class. Her class was tasked with making informative posters about mental illnesses. Marinette was assigned to do Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but at the time, she cared more about making her project look pretty than about actually learning about PTSD. Now, four years later, the glittery poster-board rested at the back of her closet, behind middle school art projects and a science fair volcano.

Marinette threw her health project in the trash pile, but the glittery bubble letters had already seared themselves into her mind. _Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A disorder in which a person has difficulty recovering after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. Symptoms include: flashbacks, irritability, anxiety, insomnia, nightmares, hypervigilance._

The list of symptoms was all too familiar to Marinette. Anxiety, nightmares, hypervigilance - she knew them like the back of her hand. It worried Marinette. She had known that her time spent fighting Hawkmoth had changed her, but she didn't think it was that bad. Marinette thought that she was coping.

"Tikki?" Marinette called out, her voice oddly calm for how turbulent her emotions were. "I think I might have PTSD."

Tikki gave Marinette a sad look. "You wouldn't be the first Ladybug to be traumatized by what you've seen."

"Oh." Marinette had hoped that Tikki would have some sort of advice to give her, but Tikki seemed just as defeated as Marinette felt. "What do I do about it?"

"Whatever you can do to cope with the stress. It will get better once Hawkmoth is defeated. You'll be able to go back to your normal life."

Marinette was known for fixing problems, but she didn't think that this was a problem she could fix. Mental illness was well outside of her area of expertise. Marinette couldn't go to a professional. What would be the point of going to a therapist if she couldn't tell them the whole reason that she was there? She couldn't risk revealing her identity, not when Hawkmoth was already so powerful.

Marinette went back to work, burying her feelings deep down inside of her. Her closet wasn't going to clean itself. For twenty minutes, Marinette managed to keep the feelings of despair at bay, until she stumbled upon a birthday card. It was from Damian, from her last birthday.

_Dear Marinette,_

_Happy Sixteenth Birthday. I hope that the year treats you well. Maybe this will be the year that we finally meet face to face. I seriously considered sending you a plane ticket as your gift, but I concluded that that would be too big a surprise to spring on you. Perhaps that will be your Christmas gift if you're up for it._

_I'll video chat tonight so that I can sing you happy birthday as I promised. I'm still not sure what the purpose of the song is, but if it makes you happy, I'll be willing to suffer for you._

_Best wishes,  
Damian_

Marinette was suddenly hit with the desire to call Damian. It was what she always did when she was upset, but this time she couldn't. Her fight with Damian was still fresh on her mind. If she called him and he didn't answer, it would only make her feel worse. Even if he did answer, Marinette didn't know if she could bear to have another fight with him. She was already at her breaking point.

"Just keep cleaning," Marinette whispered. She finished sorting her closet, then put them trash and donate piles into separate bags. Marinette knew that distracting herself from the problem wasn't a long-term solution, but it was the only solution she had right now. She just had to keep fighting, day by day. It was the only way she knew how to cope - the only way she knew how to survive.


	10. Mandate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette creates a plan; her friends get involved.

**[Saturday October 24]**

The Paris Council sent out the Education Mandate that day at noon. _All schools will be required to re-open on Monday, October 26th. Attendance will be required for all students. Absences will only be excused through a doctor's note._

Marinette was torn over whether or not she approved of this decision. On the one hand, she desperately missed her friends. A week without school, stuck indoors except for when she snuck out as Ladybug, meant that Marinette hadn't gotten to see any of her friends as her civilian identity. On the other hand, Marinette understood why the schools closed in the first place. The streets of Paris were dangerous. Going to school meant risking that danger. Overall, Marinette was angry that the Paris Council had the authority to make demands of the citizens of Paris.

However, the Education Mandate gave Marinette an idea. She wrote down a few notes, then started texting her class groupchat. 

**[12:45 PM] Marinette: Skype call at 1:00. I have a plan, but everyone needs to get involved.**

**Adrien: I'll be there**

**Chloé: Me too**

**Alya: Nino and I will be there for sure :)**

By the time one o'clock came around, everyone in Marinette's class had agreed to join the Skype call. She took one last glance at her notes, then sent out the video chat request over the groupchat. "How has everyone been holding up?" Marinette asked once everyone joined.

"This sucks," Nino complained. "I haven't been allowed to leave my house all week."

"The swimming pool closed down. Now how am I supposed to practice for my swim meet next week?" Kim asked.

"You probably won't have a swim meet next week. The school opened back up for lessons, but my Mom is a teacher, and she says that the Paris Council has banned all extracurricular activities." Sabrina explained.

"This is the worst," Alix snapped. "The Justice League and their stupid Paris Council can go to hell with their mandates and restrictions. Paris already has Ladybug and Chat Noir, we don't any outside superhero interference. The Justice League should just let Ladybug and Chat Noir do their job."

"Guys, I know you're all upset, but we need to find a way to fix this," Marinette interrupted. "We need to find a way to show the Paris Council that the people of Paris aren't going to follow their arbitrary rules blindly. That's why I think we should plan a city-wide school walkout."

"A city-wide school walkout has a 99% chance of getting the attention of the Paris Council," Max noted. "They won't be able to ignore us like they ignored Ladybug and Chat Noir."

"That's what I was thinking," said Marinette.

"I'm not so sure about this," Chloé said. "I've overheard my Father talking to the Paris Council, and it doesn't seem like they're very open to changing their minds. My Father has been desperately trying to get the food rations to ease up, but the Paris Council has refused to even consider it."

Marinette sighed. "We can't just let them take over our city. We have to fight back. Are you with us, Chloé?"

Chloé looked reluctant, but she still nodded. "I'm with you."

"Good. Now, I'm hoping that if we take action fast enough, we can have the walkout on Wednesday."

"That's very soon," Alya commented. "Wouldn't it be better to wait a few weeks, to get the word out?"

Marinette shook her head. "I've thought it over, and the longer we wait, the more of a chance the Paris Council has to shut the protest down. The Council runs on bureaucracy - it'll take them a few days to respond to rumors about a school protest. We have to hold the walkout before they can respond to it. Now, I'm counting on all of you to help me get the word out. I'm sure you all have friends and acquaintances from other schools - tell them about the protest, and tell them to spread the word throughout their schools. For this to work, we need all the schools in Paris to participate, not just Françoise Dupont."

"I have the emails of everyone who competes in the swim meets. I'll send an email to them tonight," Kim promised.

"I can get Luka to spread the word at his school," Juleka mumbled.

"Great," said Marinette. "I'm glad you guys are willing to help."

"It would be _utterly ridiculous_ not to," said Chloé. "If anyone would be able to get through the stupid Paris Council, it would be you. I hate to say it, but you get things done, Marinette."

Marinette couldn't remember the last time Chloé had given her a genuine compliment. "Thanks, Chloé."

"Ugh, whatever. Don't mention it."

"Alright, I'll see you guys at school on Monday. Bye." Marinette pressed the end call button, and let out a deep breath.

"I think that went well," Marinette said to Tikki.

"It went great," Tikki cheered. "Your whole class believes in you - even Chloé!"

"They believe in me as Marinette, but do they believe in me as Ladybug?" Marinette sighed. "It's difficult, having to be perfect as two different people."

"Just do your best," Tikki advised. "You've done your best as Marinette, planning this school walkout. If all goes well, it should inspire the adults of Paris to fight back as well. Now it's time to do your best as Ladybug - starting by explaining everything to Chat Noir. He needs to know about the Miraculous Cure. He's your partner, not your sidekick."

"I know, but I have a lot on my plate as Ladybug. I have to tell Adrien about the Miraculous Cure. Adrien and I have to find a time to reveal our identities to Alya and Nino. I have to deliver Luka, Kagami, and Chloé their Miraculous. I have to restock enough supplies for five new full-time heroes at the base. It's a pretty long to-do list, especially when I have to come up with a new excuse every time I sneak out as Ladybug." Marinette let out a frustrated groan. 

"One step at a time, Marinette. Start by texting Adrien and asking to meet up. You can both sneak some night this week after your parents fall asleep."

"You're right," Marinette sighed, picking up her phone and sending Adrien a text.

**[1:42 PM] Marinette: Any night this week work well for you for the thing w/ Alya and Nino.**

Marinette kept her message intentionally vague, worried that Adrien's Father might be checking his text messages.

**Adrien: Will be better when we're back in school. Not allowed out of the house right now. Father is very strict about it.**

**Marinette: K. See you soon :)**

"I think telling him about the Cure is a little more important than your identity reveals with Alya and Nino," Tikki scolded as she looked over the message Marinette sent.

"I know, but I didn't want to send him a text that would worry him. I'll tell him about the Cure afterward the identity reveal. Don't worry, Tikki. I'm taking things one step at a time as you told me to."

Tikki sighed, "I know this is hard on you. I just want what's best for you, and what's best for this city, and sometimes those things don't line up. Sometimes we have to make compromises."

"I understand. I'll do my best to do what's right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This marks the half-way point of the fic. I haven't been able to respond to every single comment, but I have read all of them and they make my day, so thank you to everyone who has commented so far!


	11. Errands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette runs some errands; she begins to faces the long-term consequence of the Miraculous Cure.

**[Sunday October 25]**

Marinette got the text from Alice early that morning.

**[7:06 AM] Alice: Could you come over today to babysit Séb. I hate to ask so last-minute, but I just discovered today that I'm almost out of toilet paper, and I desperately need to run to the store.**

**Marinette: Sure, what time to do you want me to come over?**

**Alice: Does 10 o'clock work for you?**

**Marinette: Yep. I'll be there.**

Babysitting Séb gave Marinette the perfect excuse to leave the house. She bounded down the stairs at 8 o'clock, mentally preparing herself to lie to her parents.

The first thing that Marinette noticed was that her parents looked stressed. The second thing she noticed was that the bakery was void of customers. The third thing she noticed was that the shelves where they normally kept extra bags of flour and sugar were empty. "What's going on?" Marinette asked, but she already knew the answer. The bakery had run out of supplies.

"Today is our last day," Tom explained. "Once we close tonight, we'll stay closed until the food ration ends."

Marinette stared down at the floor, willing herself not to cry. Her parents already had enough on their plates, they didn't need to worry themselves, comforting her. "Do you remember Alice from last week, the woman who I walked home?"

"Yes."

"Well, I promised her that I would babysit her son while she runs some errands, and she asked me to come over today for a little while."

"For how long?"

Marinette shrugged. "It'll be a couple of hours, at least. She hasn't been able to leave the house all week."

"Alright. Stay safe on the streets," Sabine said. "And text us if you need anything."

"Bye Maman, bye Papa." Marinette walked out the door, feeling a little guilty. She had omitted a key detail in her explanation, which was that Alice didn't actually need her for another two hours. But Marinette needed some time to shop herself, to stock up on supplies for her superhero team's base. Five new superheroes meant five new types of snacks, for the kwami when they needed to refuel during a fight.

Marinette checked her list, where she had written down what each kwami needed to refuel. "More cheese and cookies for Plagg and Tikki. Croissants for Trixx. Carrots for Wayzz. Eggs for Sass. Apples for Kaalki. Dark chocolate for Longg." 

When Marinette got to the grocery store, she was shocked by the meager selection of food at the store. It took Marinette nearly twenty minutes to pick up her seven items, and for many of them, Marinette had to substitute her first choice for something substandard. Kaalki and Wayzz were getting their produce from plastic packaging, rather than fresh. Plagg was getting cheese sticks, rather than his preferred camembert. "Why are the shelves so picked over?" Marinette asked the cashier as she was checking out.

"People have been stocking up, in case the Paris Council takes the rationing even further. A lot of Parisians are afraid that the Justice League is going to try and starve Hawkmoth out."

Marinette shivered at the thought of her city starving. "That's terrible!"

The cashier shrugged. "I know. The Justice League doesn't care about this city. All they care about is defeating Hawkmoth. They could learn a thing or two from Ladybug and Chat Noir. Those two are the real heroes, fighting to protect our city, not to destroy it."

Marinette smiled, glad that someone seemed to have hope in Ladybug and Chat Noir. "Have a nice day."

"You too, kid."

Marinette left the grocery store, walked to the abandoned florist's shop, and snuck in the back door. She quickly put the groceries away, then got out the Horse, Snake, and Dragon Miraculous. 

"Sass and Longg, I have made the decision to give you two to your holders full-time. I believe that Luka and Kagami are ready for this responsibility."

"I'm excited to work with Kagami full-time," said Longg.

"Luka isss very worthy of thisss promotion," Sass hissed.

"What are me?" asked Kaalki. "Is Max getting me full-time? Because I'm not sure if he's worthy. No offense to him, but he was _not_ glorious _or_ famous. I have high standards. I don't settle for second-best."

"I've chosen a new wielder for you, Kaalki. Her name is Chloé Bourgeoise. Her father is the Mayor and her mother owns a famous magazine."

"She sounds important. I'm willing to try her out."

"Great." Marinette smiled. "She'll be using the Miraculous on a probational basis, for now, at least. If she proves herself worthy to hold the Miraculous, I'll see about giving her the Miraculous full-time. Sass and Longg, I'll deliver you two to your wielders sometime in the coming week."

Marinette put the three Miraculous back in the Miracle Box, then headed over to Alice's house. She arrived at 9:55, right on schedule, and knocked on the door.

Alice opened it, a pleasant smile on her face. "Come in, Marinette. I'll show you around, and explain everything you need to know to take care of Séb."

Marinette already had experience in babysitting infants - before she became Ladybug (which turned into a full-time job of its own), Marinette was a rather prolific babysitter. Still, getting a refresher didn't hurt.

Alice rambled on for about ten minutes, going over everything Marinette could possibly need to know; from changing diapers to infant CPR to every single one of Alice's emergency contacts. "Bottles are in the refrigerator. Diapers are in the cupboard in the bathroom. Emergency phone numbers are on the fridge. Call me if there are _any_ problems, no matter how small."

"I've got this, I promise."

Alice took in a deep breath then let it out slowly, grounding herself. "Hopefully I'll be back in an hour or two, but I truly have no idea how long the lines will be."

"I can stay for as long as you need me."

" _Thank you_ ," Alice sniffled. "You're being such a help. I don't know what I did to deserve your kindness."

"I'm kind to everyone I meet," smiled Marinette. "You go out shopping. Don't worry about Séb, he's in good hands."

Alice gave Marinette another smile, though this one was weaker than before. "I trust you."

Two hours of babysitting wasn't all that bad, all things considered. Séb was a cute baby, and Marinette didn't mind taking care of him. She was practically an expert at childcare: diaper changing, bottle feeding, you name it. When Séb finally went down for a nap, Marinette got to work spreading the word about the walkout. She created a digital flyer, which she started spreading around school forums and social media accounts. She briefly considered sending it to Jagged Stone (who was currently in American, complaining up a storm on his twitter about how he was locked out of his hometown of Paris) to retweet, but eventually decided against it. The walkout needed to be kept under the radar for as long as possible, to avoid having it shut down before it could happen.

The time flew by so quickly that Marinette hadn't even noticed that two hours had passed by. Her eyes were glued to her laptop (though she still kept Séb in her peripheral vision) until she heard the sound of the front door opening.

"Welcome home," Marinette called out.

"How are you? How is Séb?" Alice walked into the room, her arms full of groceries.

"We're perfectly fine. Séb fell asleep about an hour ago. I changed his diaper once, and gave him a bottle for a little bit."

Alice smiled. "You're a lifesaver, Marinette. I really needed to get out of the house. I was starting to go stir-crazy."

"It's not a problem," Marinette insisted. "I enjoy helping people."

Alice set the groceries down on the counter and pulled her wallet out of her purse. "Here are twenty dollars for you - and please just take the money, for my own peace of mind. I don't want to feel like I'm taking advantage of you."

Marinette bit back a protest - she didn't feel like she deserved the money, seeing as it was her job to help the people of Paris. Marinette didn't want to argue with Alice, though, so she kept her protest to herself. "Thank you."

Marinette packed her laptop back into her backpack, then walked herself to the door. "I'll see you soon, Alice. Text me if you need me."

Marinette walked down the hall of Alice's apartment complex. Something felt wrong, but Marinette couldn't quite put her finger on it. Her brain felt fuzzy like she just woke up from a nap. Blackness crept in around the edge of her vision, but Marinette tried to ignore it. A sharp pain hit her chest, and Marinette cried out, collapsing to the ground. "H-Help," Marinette gasped. Her vision was fading fast, though, and in moments, the black spots consumed her vision entirely, as she lost consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that we all hate cliffhangers but I couldn't help it! The good news is that you'll be getting a chapter every day for the rest of the week, so you won't have to wait long to find out what happens.


	12. Illness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette wakes up in the hospital; her day only gets worse from there.

**[Sunday October 25]**

Marinette woke up alone in a hospital room. There was an IV tube in her arm and a heart monitor hooked up to her, beeping steadily. The beeping sped up a little as Marinette gazed anxiously around the room, trying to remember what had happened.

The door to the room opened up and her parents walked in, followed by a doctor.

"Marinette, are you okay?" Sabine asked.

"My head feels kind of fuzzy. What happened?"

"You collapsed. Alice found you in the hallway outside of her apartment and called an ambulance. We came as soon as she got a hold of us," Tom explained.

"How long was I out for?

"You were only out for about an hour," the doctor said. "My name is Doctor Picard. I'd like to do an examination now, to see if we can't figure out what's wrong." Doctor Picard grabbed a stethoscope, then returned to Marinette. "Take a deep breath. Now another. Another. One last deep breath." He set the stethoscope down on the counter. "Sounds like a problem with your lungs - likely pneumonia. Have you been experiencing any shortness of breath lately?"

Marinette remembered how she almost passed out while walking up the stairs a few days ago - shortness of breath was an understatement. She nodded. "A little bit."

"Marinette, you didn't tell us," Tom protested.

Marinette ducked her head, ashamed. "I didn't want to worry you. Besides, I didn't think it was that bad."

"Well, we'll have to take a chest x-ray before I prescribe you anything. A combination of antibiotics and bed rest should do the trick."

"Should we keep her home from school tomorrow?" Sabine asked.

Doctor Picard shook his head. "Normally I would say it's up to Marinette, depending on how she feels, but with the new Education Mandate, Marinette will have to go."

"Can't you give me a doctor's excuse?" asked Marinette.

Doctor Picard sighed. "There are new guidelines for doctor's excuses. Pneumonia alone isn't enough to merit one, according to the Paris Council."

Sabine shook her head. "The Paris Council shouldn't be allowed to make these decisions. It should be up to the parent."

" _I_ agree with you, but the Education Mandate doesn't. I'm sorry, but unless you want to face consequences, Marinette will have to go to school tomorrow."

Her parents fuming the whole taxi drive home. Marinette felt guilty, even though she knew it wasn't her fault that she got pneumonia. It was another side effect of the Miraculous Cure, taking its toll out on Marinette's physical health.

"Off to bed with you, Marinette," Tom said as soon as they got home. "We'll bring some snacks up to your room. Does lemon tea and macaroons sound good?"

"Sounds perfect."

Sabine followed Marinette the whole way up to her room, to make sure that she made it there in one piece. Tom came up a few minutes later, with a tray piled high with food. His promised lemon tea and macaroons were there, along with a mug of cocoa, chocolate chip cookies, croissants, and a ham and cheese sandwich.

"Thank you," said Marinette as her Papa went back down the ladder.

She picked up her phone and started texting Adrien, still keeping her messages coded in case his Father checked his texts.

**[2:24 PM] Marinette: Just got diagnosed with pneumonia. Won't be giving 100% effort for our group project, but if you need me I'll be there.**

**Adrien: If we need to work on it, I'll be doing most of the work. You just focus on getting better.**

Satisfied that Adrien knew what to expect if an akuma attacked in the next few days, Marinette closed out of her text conversation with him. However, ending that conversation reminded Marinette of a different person that she wished that she could text with - Damian. Talking to Damian was once the highlight of Marinette's day, and Marinette couldn't help but long for those days. Her argument with Damian was still fresh on Marinette's mind, but it didn't stop her from missing him. Marinette texted out a quick message to him, her thumb hovering nervously over the send button for almost a full minute before she finally bit the bullet and pressed send.

**[2:29 PM] Marinette: I know that we're probably still arguing, but I really need someone to talk to right now**

Damian replied back almost immediately.

**Damian: I'm free right now**

The screen of her laptop lit up with the notification. _**Damian** requests to video chat._

Marinette knew that it was a bad idea, that she was only setting herself up to get hurt. Damian was her friend, but they had drastically different opinions about the Paris Quarantine and Marinette just wasn't sure if they would be able to work it out. It was too real for her, too raw to debate. Their arguments were like rubbing salt on her wounds. Marinette knew that Damian didn't mean to hurt her, but that didn't stop the pain.

Marinette knew that it was a bad idea, but she clicked accept anyways. The sight of Damian's face cleared away all the tension Marinette didn't even know that she was carrying.

"Are you okay, Marinette?" The concern in his voice overwhelmed Marinette, and she started to cry.

Shaking her head and rubbing the tears away, Marinette sniffled, "My parents are shutting down the bakery. I was diagnosed with pneumonia today, and I can barely walk, yet I have to go to school tomorrow because of the Paris Council and their godforsaken Education Mandate. My day hasn't been going very well."

"You have to go to school even though you're sick?" Damian sounded bewildered. "Didn't you get a doctor's excuse."

"The doctor wasn't allowed to give me one. Apparently, my case 'wasn't severe enough.'" Marinette used finger quotes for the last three words, trying to convey exactly how ridiculous the notion was.

Damian closed his eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath, then letting it out. When his eyes opened back up, there was a steely determination in them that Marinette had never noticed before. "My Father is very powerful, both economically and politically. I could get him to pull some strings behind the scenes, to get you and your family out of Paris."

Marinette stared at him, in shock, trying to take in his words. Fury rose in her as she realized exactly what he meant. The Quarantine had finally started inconveniencing him, so he decided to pay his way out of having to deal with the fact that the Quarantine was a mistake. "So the Quarantine is a great idea until it actually starts to affect you. You're a goddamned hypocrite, Damian Wayne. You can't just throw money around and get your way, while the rest of Paris suffers. I would rather _die_ than accept your money."

Marinette ended the call, rage still bubbling beneath the surface. She knew that video chatting was a mistake, but she never could have predicted the disaster that just happened. Instead of coming to his senses about the Quarantine, Damian tried to pay his way out of admitting he was wrong.

"I thought I knew him. I guess I was wrong."

Marinette put her phone down and changed into her pajamas. She was exhausted, too tired to think about her fights with Damian and too tired to fully consider the consequences of her illness. For a normal teenage girl in a normal city, getting pneumonia wouldn't be the end of the world. Inconvenient, perhaps, but certainly not devastating. For Marinette, who was secretly Ladybug, it would cripple her.


	13. Grounded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Sabine are akumatized; after the fight, Marinette explains something important to Adrien.

**[Monday October 26]**

Marinette woke up the next morning to her Maman shaking her awake."How do you feel?"

Marinette groaned softly, burying her face in a pillow. "Awful."

"We'll keep you home from school today. I don't care about the consequences. You're too sick to go."

Marinette shook her head. "I'm getting up." She rolled out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. After a quick shower, Marinette brushed her teeth and got dressed. She grabbed her backpack out of the closet where she was storing it and checked to make sure she had everything she needed. Pens, pencils, textbooks, notebooks - everything was just as she left it a week ago, after that odd half-day.

A crashing noise coming from downstairs distracted Marinette from her thoughts. 

"I am Maternité!"

"I am Paternité."

"The Paris Council wants to tell us how to parent our daughter. If they want her to go to school, they'll have to go through us!"

Marinette froze, and her backpack fell to the ground. Her parents were akumatized, and it sounded like their goal was protecting her. She quickly lunged for her phone and started typing as fast as she could.

**[7:53 AM] Marinette: My parents were just akumatized. They're trying to prevent me from going to school. I won't be at school until LB and CN defeat them.**

**Adrien: Looks like you're grounded, lol**

The message, which at first glance, appeared to be a silly joke on Adrien's part, actually held a double meaning. While she was grounded from leaving the house, she was also grounded from the fight.

"Give me that," her cellphone was ripped out of Marinette's hands, and Marinette gasped in surprise. "You need your bedrest. No more screen time for you."

"O-Okay, Maman."

"I'm not your 'Maman' anymore. I am Maternité, and I will do anything to protect my daughter!"

Marinette crawled back in bed, waiting for Chat Noir to show up. Maternité guarded her bed, still as a statue, watching her like a hawk. Eventually, the sound of tapping on the skylight got Maternité's attention.

"I have to go deal with a pest. You stay in bed," Maternité ordered. She then jumped up through the skylight, onto the balcony.

Marinette smiled. Chat had come to rescue her. Marinette climbed out of bed and made her way up to the balcony, wanting to watch the fight just in case Chat needed assistance.

By the time Marinette made it up to the balcony, the fight was already over, and Chat was already on her balcony, holding a jarred akuma. "Marinette, I defeated Maternité and Paternité and captured their akuma. I just need you to transform, call your Lucky Charm, purify the akuma, and cast the Miraculous Cure."

Marinette's breath hitched. "I can't."

"What do you mean, you can't?"

"I can't cast the Cure. It-It's complicated, and I was going to tell you, but I wanted to tell you face-to-face, and you couldn't find a way out of the house. The Miraculous Cure is powered by hope, and the people of Paris are losing hope in Ladybug. Now, every time I use the Cure, it takes a toll on my physical health. That's why I got pneumonia."

"The Cure is hurting you?" Chat looked shocked.

Marinette nodded. "How much damage did Maternité and Paternité cause?"

"Not enough to justify hurting yourself over it. They just tore up a little bit of the street and knocked over a tree."

"That's a relief, at least," Marinette sighed. "Time to purify the akuma. Tikki, spots on!"

A minute later, the little white butterfly was flying away. Marinette detransformed, then walked to the edge of the balcony to see the damage for herself. True to Chat's word, the damage was fairly minimal. A tree had fallen over in the Place des Vosges Park across the tree, and right outside of the bakery, there was a crater where the street had gotten torn up. However, trees could be replanted, and the street could be repaved. Marinette let out a sigh of relief. Had there been any damage to any bystanders, she would have cast the Miraculous Cure, no matter the consequences.

Chat detransformed as well, and it was just Marinette and Adrien on the balcony. "Will you ever be able to use the Cure again?" Adrien asked.

Marinette nodded. "If we can bring back hope to the people of Paris that the Quarantine will end, then I'll be able to use the Cure without fear again. That's why I'm planning the school walkout. I'm hoping that if the adults of this city see us protesting, it will inspire them to fight back as well."

"I wish you had told me sooner," said Adrien. "I would have tried harder to mitigate the damage of the fight."

"Your power _is_ damage," Marinette pointed out. "It might best if you don't use Cataclysm as much, though."

"Noted." Adrien rested his head on Marinette's shoulder. "I can't lose you."

"I'm not going anywhere, kitty." Marinette sighed, "I have a favor to ask of you."

"Anything," Adrien responded immediately.

"I need you to deliver Luka, Kagami, and Chloé their Miraculous. I've been meaning to deliver them myself, but I never had the time to do it. Now with my pneumonia, I don't know if I'll have the energy to deliver it to them." 

"Don't worry, Marinette. I'm plenty capable of delivering the Miraculous myself."

Marinette let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Adrien. The Miracle Box is in my closet; I'll bring the Miraculous to school and deliver them to you there."

"You're going to school? You should stay at home."

Marinette shook her head. "Can't. The doctor wasn't allowed to give me an excuse."

"That's not fair."

Marinette smiled despite the gravity of the situation. She had missed Adrien's idealism, his belief in fairness. "I know, but until the Justice League ends the Quarantine, we have to play by their rules."

"I guess," Adrien hesitated. "Take care of yourself, Marinette."

"I will."

"Promise?"

"Promise."


	14. Apologize

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian apologizes to Marinette; their friendship is repaired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We take a break from the angst to get some well needed apologies

**[Tuesday October 27]**

Marinette's phone had been buzzing with text notifications from Damian near-constantly, for the past two days. After their first argument, Damian had given her the silent treatment for a few days afterward, likely to give her time to cool off. After their previous argument, he had been texting her non-stop. Marinette checked her phone - 48 text notification, all of them from Damian.

Marinette had come home from lunch, trying to get a nap in before she returned to school. The buzzing of her phone had been keeping her awake, but Marinette didn't want to turn it off in case there was an akuma alert. "You should answer his texts," said Tikki. "He's probably trying to apologize to you."

"I don't care," Marinette lied.

"At least look at them."

"Fine." Marinette opened up her messaging app and swiped to her conversation with Damian. She slowly scrolled through the messages, taking it all in.

**[2:33 PM] Damian: Please, can we video chat so that I can explain myself. You took my words the wrong way. I didn't mean it like that**

**[6:05 PM] Damian: I've given you time to cool off, can we please talk. I deserve a chance to explain myself**

**[6:07 PM] Damian: If you're trying to punish me by ignoring me, it's working. Please answer my video chat request**

Marinette frowned. He hadn't even apologized; all he did was make excuses, and she was tired of hearing them. She scrolled down further, past the bulk of the text messages, which Damian sent throughout the day prior. When she finally reached the bottom, she was surprised by what she found.

**[9:35 AM] Damian: I'm sorry. I stayed up all night researching into the Paris Quarantine. I've been reading first-hand accounts, and you're right. The Quarantine should end. It's causing more harm than good.**

**[12:27 PM] Damian: I was wrong and I'm sorry**

Marinette gasped, suddenly hopeful. She hadn't thought that Damian would ever change his mind. She started scrolling back up to the beginning of the messages, wanted to 

Marinette scrolled back up to the beginning of the messages. She wanted to know exactly what changed Damian's mind. Reading through his messages, Marinette could see why his mind changed. He really had done his research, reading all sorts of articles and first-hand accounts, asking her questions about her own experiences, and looking into the different organizations that were protesting the Quarantine.

Marinette's laptop beeped. _**Damian** requests to video chat._ For the first time since the Quarantine started, Marinette didn't hesitate in accepting the call.

Damian looked shocked; he probably hadn't expected her to answer. "H-Hello Marinette." It might have been the first time she had ever heard him stammer. 

"You said you wanted a chance to explain. This is your chance."

Damian took a deep breath, then began. "I recognize that I made a lot of mistakes."

"You tried to pay your way out of admitting that you were wrong," Marinette accused.

"I did, and that was a mistake. I'm sorry. I just didn't want to lose you. I got so scared when you told me you were sick. I wasn't thinking straight. I just wanted to protect you. After you hung up on me, my mind cleared up. I realized that I had only been looking at the Quarantine at the surface level. So I dug deeper. I started reading about people's first-hand experiences, and the reality of the situation was revealed to me. The Quarantine is horrible. It's causing unimaginable harm to the people of Paris. You were right, Marinette, it needs to end."

They were words Marinette didn't ever think she would hear. "You mean it?"

"Yes, I really do. I'm sorry that I was so callous about the subject, in our earlier calls. I now realize how much stress you must be under, living under the Quarantine."

It was more stress than Damian would ever know. Marinette wasn't just dealing with Marinette's responsibilities. She was also dealing with the responsibilities of Ladybug, the superhero savior of Paris. "It's been difficult," Marinette said, debating on whether or not to tell him about her parent's akumatization. She didn't want Damian's pity, but she did want him to understand what she was going through. "My parents were akumatized yesterday. They were upset over the fact that I had to go to school even though I'm sick."

"Marinette, that's terrible. Are you and your family okay?"

Marinette blinked away the tears that threaten to spill down her cheeks. "We're fine. Could we talk about something other than the Quarantine? I'm just tired of thinking about it, day and night."

"Okay." Damian started regaling Marinette with a story about his dog, Titus. Marinette laughed at all his jokes, her heart much lighter than it had been before. However, she knew it wouldn't last. The higher her spirits lifted, the harder they fell. It was a cycle Marinette knew well, a cycle that wouldn't break until the Wall fell and the Quarantine ended.

"Can I ask you a serious question?" asked Damian once he finished up his story.

Marinette nodded her permission. "Sure."

"How safe are you right now?"

"I suppose I'm safe enough," said Marinette.

Damian's brow furrowed in concern. "What does 'safe enough' mean?"

"It means that no one is safe right now. Paris has become a hellscape of crime and violence and there is no escape. I'm not trying to be evasive right now and I'm not going to lie to you, which means I'm not always going to give you an answer that you'd like."

"Okay," Damian nodded.

Marinette needed another distraction. "Tell me about Alfred the cat. Has he learned how to get down from the curtain yet, or does he still yowl until someone picks him up and sets him down on the ground."

Marinette let Damian's words wash over her, his voice low and comforting. Setting her head down on the pillow, Marinette began to drift off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (The angst will return. It always returns)


	15. Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Adrien reveal their identities to Nino and Alya; Marinette and Adrien chat.

**[Tuesday October 27]**

Marinette woke up five hours later, her laptop screen dark and the light of the setting sun streaming through her windows.

"Why didn't anyone wake me up?" Marinette asked Tikki as soon as she saw the time. "I was supposed to go back to school after lunch."

"Your Mother came upstairs to walk you up, but Damian convinced her to let you sleep."

Marinette huffed. "I just don't want to get in trouble. I heard that the Paris Council is going to start fining families for every unexcused absence."

"You needed to sleep. It's important that you get better, in case you ever have to use the Miraculous Cure again."

Marinette nodded absently, checking her phone for any missed messages. There were a few from her classmates in the group chat, asking where she was. Marinette answered those quickly. **[6:04 PM] Marinette: My Maman let me take a nap because I wasn't feeling well. I'll make sure I come to school tomorrow, to lead the walkout**

Marinette then texted Adrien. **[6:05 PM] Marinette: Can you work on the group project tonight. Regular spot, 7 PM**

**Adrien: Sure. Are Nino and Alya going to be there too, or are we working on this part of the project together?**

**Marinette: Alya and Nino will be there too**

There would no longer be secrets between the four friends. It was time for the reveal. 

But before Marinette could get to work as Ladybug, she had some responsibilities as Marinette that needed to be taken care of. Specifically, the signs she would be bringing to the school walkout tomorrow. The signs that she hadn't gotten the supplies for yet, let alone started to make. With a sigh, Marinette slipped downstairs, past her parents.

"I have to go to the store to get supplies for a school project, then I'll be going to Alya's house to work on the project." To Marinette's ears, it sounded obvious that she was lying, but her parents didn't seem to notice. They were crowded around the kitchen table, papers spread out across it. 

"Alright, Marinette. Text us if you need anything. Be home by 10 o'clock at the latest," said Sabine.

"What are you looking at?" asked Marinette.

"Just some financial papers. Nothing for you to worry yourself about," said Tom, his careless tone sounding forced.

Marinette nodded, slipping out of the kitchen and down the stairs. It was obvious to her that her family was in financial trouble. The bakery was their only source of income, and with it being closed for the foreseeable future, they were eventually going to hit the bottom of their rainy day funds. She wished that there was something that she could do to help her family, but her meager babysitting funds wouldn't be able to support a family of three. The only way that they would survive would be if the bakery was able to reopen, the only way the bakery would reopen would be if the Paris Council ended the food ration, and the only way the food ration would end would be if the Paris Quarantine ended. All of her problems led back to the Quarantine. 

Marinette stopped into her favorite craft store to pick up colored posterboards and permanent markers of all different colors, to make the posters for the walkout. 

"Hello, Marinette," said Jacqueline, the owner of the store, as she bagged Marinette's purchases. 

"Hello, Jacqueline," Marinette greeted politely. "How are you?"

Jacqueline sighed, "Not great. I might have to close the store down."

Marinette gasped. "Really?"

"I've been getting just a fraction of my former sales, ever since this Quarantine started. It's terrible for business."

"That's such a shame. I would miss this place terribly."

Marinette left the craft store in an even worse mood than before. She dropped the supplies off at home, then after a quick transformation, Ladybug stopped at Alya's house. She knocked on Alya's window, hoping that her friend was home.

"Ladybug!" Alya exclaimed as she opened the window. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. Chat and I have something important to share with you and Nino. Could you text him and tell him to meet us in the alleyway behind Francesca's Flowers, as Carapace, at seven o'clock."

"Sure." Alya whipped her phone out and started texting Nino. "What now?"

"Now, it's time for Chat and I to show you and Nino the Miraculous Team's base. But first, you have to transform."

"Trixx, let's pounce!"

Ladybug could tell that Rena Rouge was a little disappointed by the team's base. To be fair, when one pictured a secret superhero base, they would picture high tech equipment hidden underground or inside of a mountain, not bandages and snacks inside of a dusty, foreclosed florist's shop.

"We use this space primarily whenever our kwami need a break from the fight. I have snacks stored in this cupboard here, along with some bandages and headache medicine."

At that moment, Chat escorted Carapace in through the door.

"No offense, but this place is a little underwhelming."

"No offense taken," said Ladybug. "It was the best we could do, considering the circumstances."

"What circumstances?" asked Rena.

"Well, we had to find a space that was abandoned. Since Ladybug and I are both sixteen-year-olds, neither of us would be able to buy or rent a space ourselves."

Rena gasped. "You're both sixteen! I thought you were older."

Chat shook his head. "Nope. We go to the same school."

Carapace's eyes were wide in shock. "Really?"

"Yep!" Ladybug had to admit, teasing her friends like this was a little fun. "We've been in the same class before. We've worked on group projects before."

"No way," Rena shook her head. "There's no way that I've met you before and didn't recognize you."

Ladybug smiled. "The Miraculous protect our identity. That's why you didn't recognize me as Ladybug."

Chat explained further, "We brought you two here not only so that you could familiarize yourself with the base, but also so that we could reveal our identities to you."

"On three," Ladybug commanded. "One... Two..."

"Spots off!" "Claws in!" "Let's rest!" "Shell off!"

Marinette wished that she had brought a camera, just to capture the look on Alya's face.

"Marinette? And Adrien? This is..."

"Awesome!" cheered Nino. "The four of us are best friends in real life, and best friends in the superhero life."

"I can't believe that I never connected the dots," Alya laughed. "Now that I know, it seems pretty obvious."

"That was the magic preventing you from making the connection," explained Tikki. "Once you have concrete proof - such as witnessing the transformation - your mind is able to fully comprehend it."

"I guess that makes sense. It's just a lot to take in. _Marinette Dupain-Cheng,_ my best friend is _Ladybug_. It feels weird even to say it, and yet know that I know, everything makes sense."

"You two can get some snacks for your kwami, then head back home. We've pretty much postponed patrolling, for the time being. We have to save our energy for akuma attacks," said Marinette.

Alya and Nino did as they were told, transforming and leaving the building only a few minutes after they entered. Marinette and Adrien hung back.

"Did you deliver the Miraculous to Luka, Kagami, and Chloé?"

"Yep," said Adrien. "Viperion, Ryuko, and the newly named Clydesdale are all excited to be permanent members of the Miraculous Team."

Marinette smiled. "Finally, some good news."

"How are you holding up?" asked Adrien. 

"Now great. Finances are going to be rough until we can open the bakery back up."

Adrien nodded. "I understand that. My Father has been even more stressed than usual. Apparently, the Quarantine has really struck a blow to _Gabriel_."

"The Quarantine has struck a blow to all parts of the Parisian economy. Most workplaces have shut down. Soon, Paris will be in ruins, if we don't do something."

"That's what the walkout is for," Adrien reminded her. "To get people to start fighting back."

Marinette nodded, then yawned. "Speaking of the walkout, I have to get home and get to work on the signs. They aren't going to make themselves."

"Do you need any help?"

Shaking her head, Marinette replied, "I've got it covered. Besides, art relaxes me. I'll be fine."

"Goodnight Marinette. Take care."

"You too, Adrien. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Make sure you get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a big day."

Marinette nodded. "I know. I'm just hoping it all turns out okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been spoiling my readers with a chapter of Quarantine a day for almost a week; however, I do need to post my Adrinette April stories so I'm taking a break from posting Quarantine chapters. They'll pick back up on Wednesday and post one every other day until the end of the story. 
> 
> Thanks everyone for reading, and special thanks to my commenters, whom I love and adore!


	16. Protest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and her class go through with the walkout, with disappointing results.

**[Wednesday October 28]**

Marinette stayed up past midnight making signs. **Free Paris** , **Bring Back Democracy** , **End The Quarantine** , and **Tear Down The Wall**. She was so proud of her classmates, who helped her organize the entire walkout in less than a week. Of course, the hardest part was spreading the word, and once the word was out there, there was no shortage of volunteers. It seemed that all of Paris was united in their hatred of the Quarantine. 

As Marinette walked through the hallways, she could hear students chattering about the walkout. 

"Juleka and I made matching signs," Rose told Marinette. "We used a lot of glitter glue."

"I designed a flyer that I've been spreading online," mumbled Nathanial. "It got over 10,000 retweets."

Marinette smiled as she walked to her seat. Before Ms. Bustier got into the room, Marinette handed out her signs to those who needed them. Alya got **Free Paris** , Nino got **Tear Down The Wall** , and Adrien got **End The Quarantine**. Marinette kept **Bring Back Democracy** for herself. 

The whole morning, the class was on the edge of their seats. The walkout was planned to occur at exactly noon, at schools all over Paris. It was all anyone could think about. Ms. Bustier made a valiant effort to try and teach them about the French Revolution, but Marinette couldn't care less about Robespierre and his Reign of Terror. She was experiencing her own Reign of Terror right then and there, in the form of the Paris Council, and their unjust mandates.

At 11:45, Ms. Bustier gave up trying. "Alright class, you can spend the next fifteen minutes preparing for the walkout. I can see that none of you are paying any attention whatsoever."

Marinette felt a twinge of guilt for ignoring her teacher, but she had bigger things to worry about than history class. She and all the schoolchildren of Paris were making history today. "Everyone knows our demands, right?"

"Reverse the Education Mandate and food ration, hold democratic elections for the Paris Council, and tear down The Wall, thus ending the Quarantine," Alya recited.

Marinette nodded. "We're ready for this. We're going to start something bigger than ourselves. We're going to show the Paris Council something they can't ignore."

The class watched the seconds tick down, one by one, until it was finally noon. From outside, Marinette could hear the sound of a bell tolling twelve times. It was time to go.

The hallways were chaos as every student in the school made their way outside. Signs were held above the crowd proclaiming, **Freedom for Paris** and **No More Quarantine**. Marinette looked around, pride blossoming in her chest as she saw her idea come to fruition. As soon as her class got outside onto the street, Marinette checked her social media. From students all throughout Paris, pictures of empty classrooms and crowded streets were being posted. Videos of students chanting and waving signs filled Marinette's phone screen. The walkout was working.

The students of Françoise Dupont protested for fifteen uninterrupted minutes before a car pulled up in front of the school. A tall, balding man stepped out of the car, scowling. Marinette recognized him as one of the Paris Councilmen, the man in charge of the Department of Education.

"All of you, get back to class before I start handing out punishments!" The Councilman shouted over the roar of the crowd.

Marinette scoffed. Did he really think that he could punish every student in Paris? It would be an impossible task. There were simply too many protesters for him to effectively shut them down with empty threats.

"Do you know who I am? I'm Simon Lebreton, member of the Paris Council and Head of the Department of Education!"

The crowd began to quiet down, but no one moved a muscle towards the school doors.

"Who is responsible for this?" Lebreton shouted.

Marinette stepped forward, gripping the sign in her hand even tighter than before. "My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. On behalf of the students of Paris, I present our list of demands."

"Get back to class _Mademoiselle Duapin-Cheng_ , before I fine you and your family. The current fine is 250 Euros for every missed school hour. How many hours of school are you willing to miss, when it could cost your family their house."

Marinette glared right back at Simon Lebreton. "This walkout is more important than money. It's about the future of Paris. My class would like an audience with the Head of the Paris Council, Justine Devaux, so that we may present our list of demands to her."

Lebreton let out a harsh laugh. "You keep believing that your little walkout will work. This Quarantine isn't going to end because some teenagers decided to put up a fuss about it. The only way that the Wall comes down is when the Justice League takes it down themselves." Lebreton stalked back to his car, slamming the door behind him.

For three hours, Marinette and the rest of her school stood on the sidewalk. Reporters came and went, parents came to beg their children to return to class, and Principal Damocles came outside to try and talk some sense into the protesting students. Nothing could get them to move, though. It was as though everyone could sense that this was their only chance to make some real change - if they didn't do it right this time, they never would.

When the courtyard clock struck three, just as Marinette was about to send out an alert over social media for the protesting students to return home for the day, another black car pulled up in front of the students. This one, however, was much more expensive than Lebreton's sedan. It was a modern, luxury sports car. Marinette held her breath as she waited for the door to open, wondering exactly who was going to interrupt their protest next.

 _Please be Justine Devaux, please be Justine Devaux,_ Marinette silently begged. If she could just get an audience with the Paris Council, present her ideas as a concerned citizen of Paris, they might finally listen to the voices of the people.

Instead, stepping out of the car was Marinette's worst nightmare. Batman.

"Which one of you is Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" His voice was dark and emotionless.

Marinette took in a deep breath, then took a step forward. "I am Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I have a list of demands from the students of Paris, to present to Justine Devaux, Head of the Paris Council."

"You will not be presenting your list of demands. All of you will return home. Tomorrow, you will return to school at the normal time. You will go to class as usual. There will be no more protests, no more walkouts, no more disruptions to your education. Put your fantasy of changing the world behind you. Right now, the Paris Council and the Justice League need you all to cooperate - not to protest."

Batman loomed in front of her, but Marinette stood her ground. "No. You've already done enough harm. Let Ladybug and Chat Noir do their jobs in peace."

Scattered cheering could be heard throughout the crowd at the mention of Ladybug and Chat Noir, though it was nothing compared to the support that the superhero duo used to have.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir have failed Paris. That is why the Justice League had to intervene."

"Your 'intervention' isn't needed-"

Batman cut Marinette off, addressing the crowd behind her. "Go home, all of you. Your protest, however well organized it was, has failed. Return home, and there will be no punishment for your foolishness. Stay here, and I will not let you off as leniently."

Marinette wasn't surprised when the crowd started to disperse. Batman was an authority figure that no one wanted to get on the bad side of, not even Marinette.

"Please," Marinette begged. "Hear us out. Our city is falling apart beneath our feet, we deserve to be heard."

"Your city will survive. Go return home, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng. Your good intentions are misplaced. Next time, try organizing something that helps the people of Paris, instead of tearing them further apart."

Batman got back into his car and drove away.

Marinette took in a shuddering breath. Tears started to fall down her cheeks. Batman's words echoed in her brain, all the things he said that she should have argued against. _Next time, try organizing something that helps the people of Paris, instead of tearing them further apart._ How hadn't he been able to see that the protest had brought the people of Paris together? They were united by their desire to end the Quarantine.

"I'm sorry, Marinette," said Adrien. "I really wanted this to work."

"He wouldn't even listen to our demands," whispered Marinette. "He wouldn't even hear us out. Does he think that we're protesting for fun? Does he not realize that we have real goals, real things we want to accomplish?"

Alya put her arm around Marinette's shoulders. "Let's go home. We'll come up with another plan tomorrow."

"There is no other plan. This was all I had. This was supposed to get through to the Paris Council." Another tear fell down Marinette's face. "Now I don't know what to do."


	17. Defeated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Marinette is at her lowest, Damian is there to help her back to her feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Batman had better watch his back, with the way everyone in the comments of the last chapter has been threatening him!

**[Wednesday October 28]**

Marinette hadn't spoken a word since she left the protest. Every time she opened her mouth to speak she could feel a sob bubbling up at the bottom of her throat, threatening to pull her deeper into her despair. She walked through the door of the bakery, her eyes trained at the ground. 

"Marinette!" Sabine scolded. "We saw your little stunt on the news. Do you know how much trouble you could have gotten into? The Paris Council could have pressed charges against you for ignoring their Education Mandate."

"I just wanted to help Paris!" Marinette protested.

"You can help Paris by following the rules. You have good intentions Marinette, but they're severely misplaced. Stop trying to be a hero. This issue is bigger than you," Tom said, disapproval in his tone.

"Just leave me alone," Marinette snapped, pushing past her parents and running up the stairs. She understood why her parents were disappointed in her; they already had enough to stress about without worrying about her getting into trouble. That didn't stop Marinette from being upset, however. Her parents had told her that they would always support her, and they had broken that promise.

Checking her social media, Marinette watched as the reactions to the walkout came from all the people of Paris. Nothing had gone as planned. The adults of the city, instead of being motivated to join the students in the fight, were primarily disappointed. "They should have stayed in school," read one tweet. "Provoking the Paris Council will only make things worse," read another. Marinette turned her phone off, trying to curb the disappointment rising up in her. If she could just forget about her failed protest, just for a minute, she might finally feel like the world wasn't ending. 

Marinette's phone buzzed, signaling that she had gotten a text. Anxiety rose in her as she picked it up, expecting it to be one of her friends, furious at her for her failure of a plan. To Marinette's surprise, it was Damian who sent her the text.

**[4:12 PM] Damian: I saw you on the news. It was brave of you to fight back against the Paris Council.**

**Marinette: It didn't work. I failed Paris. I failed everyone who participated in the walkout.**

**Damian: You didn't fail. Can we video chat now?**

**Marinette: Sure**

Marinette clicked accept as soon as the invitation to video chat popped up on her school. "Hi, Damian." Marinette didn't bother checking how she looked in the corner of the screen - she knew that she looked like a mess. Red-rimmed eyes and streams of mascara on her cheeks were inevitable when she had spent nearly a half-hour crying. 

"Are you alright?" asked Damian.

"No," Marinette admitted. She didn't see any point in denying it. It was obvious that she was upset. "I failed. I accomplished nothing, except for making myself look impulsive and immature. This walkout was supposed to inspire the people of Paris. Instead, the people of Paris are disappointed; they would have preferred that the students of Paris accept the injustice of the Paris Council without a word of protest."

"Marinette, you're on the news all across the globe. People everywhere are talking about how a sixteen-year-old girl is standing up for freedom and democracy. You might now have inspired Paris, but you've sure inspired the rest of the world."

"What good does that do? The Paris Council and the Justice League still won't listen to me," argued Marinette. "I tried to bring our demands to the attention of the Head of the Paris Council, but no adult wants to listen to me."

"You can't give up now. You have to stand your ground. You have to make them listen."

"How?" Marinette snapped, tears springing to her eyes again. "I didn't have a backup plan. I thought that the walkout would work."

"You don't need to do this alone. I'll help you," offered Damian.

"Really?" 

"Yes. We'll sit here together and talk things over for as long as it takes."

"Why?" Marinette had been so used to shouldering all of the burdens of her responsibility by herself. She pushed away her friends, her superhero partners, and her family, because she didn't want them to feel the same pressure that she did. Yet no matter how much she pushed Damian away, he always came back. He talked her down from her nightmares, apologized for the mistakes he made, spent hours upon hours researching so that he could see the world from her point of view, and now at her lowest moment, he still stood beside her. 

"Because you're my friend, Marinette. I want you to succeed."

A tear slipped down Marinette's face, but for once, it was a happy tear. "Thank you, for sticking with me."

Damian smiled softly. "I would never abandon you. Now, let's get to work."

Marinette smiled back. "All we have to do is save Paris. Should be easy."

"I already have an idea. I don't know if it will work, but I figure you'll be able to offer some feedback."

"What is it?"

"What if we get Ladybug and Chat Noir involved. The Paris Council wouldn't listen to superheroes alone, nor would they listen to civilians alone. However, if you combine forces, it would be much more difficult for the Paris Council to ignore, especially since they're now experiencing pressure from people outside of Paris."

Marinette sat there, stunned, unable to respond. She had always viewed her responsibilities as Marinette and as Ladybug as two separate things, two separate lists of things to do, two separate sets of goals, two separate tasks to be accomplished. Yet, as soon as Damian suggested combining them, it made perfect sense. "You're right. We need to get the superheroes involved."

"Do you know how to get in touch with them?"

Marinette smirked, feeling confident for the first time in weeks. "I have my ways."

Damian chuckled in response. "I don't doubt you."

"You'd better not," Marinette teased.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Damian had a look on his face that Marinette knew well; wistful and worried at the same time. It was the face he made when he was overthinking something. 

"Quit thinking so hard," Marinette commanded teasingly. "Even if this doesn't work, we'll come up with a different plan."

"Someone's had a change of heart," noted Damian.

Marinette shrugged, trying not to blush as she told him, "You inspire the optimist inside of me."

"I'm glad that the optimist is back. I like optimistic Marinette much better than pessimistic Marinette."

"I like optimistic Marinette better, too. Thanks for bringing her back."

Damian's expression turned tender. "Anything for you, Marinette."

Marinette blushed, turning away from the camera. It was nice to have a friend who always had her back, but a tiny, hopeful part of Marinette would always wonder if she and Damian would ever be anything more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only three chapters left!


	18. Persistence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Damian come up with a new plan; MADSPISES is a success.

**[Wednesday November 4]**

A week had passed since the disastrous walkout, and Marinette hadn't rested for a second of it. She and Damian came up with a plan, and she wasn't stopping until she followed through with it. However, between akuma attacks in which she was unable to use the Miraculous Cure (outrage had only grown over the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of property damage that Ladybug hadn't fixed. When it grew overwhelming, Marinette turned to Damian for support) and the hours upon hours of research she had put into developing a case to show to the Paris Council, Marinette was busy.

The second plan, titled "Marinette and Damian Save Paris In Seven Easy Steps" (named by Marinette at four AM after her seventh cup of coffee in six hours), MADSPISES for short, was much more complex than the walkout. Whereas the walkout had been organized through a few texts and social media posts, the second plan was much more elaborate. It started when Damian asked Marinette what she was going to say when she got in front of the Paris Council. Marinette had her list of demands, but no evidence to back up her points. So she and Damian started digging. Compiling first-hand accounts, economic statistics, and randomized surveys distributed all over Paris, in order to create an argument that the Paris Council couldn't dismiss. That was step one.

Step two was getting her friends back on board. All of her classmates were wary of volunteering for another protest against the Paris Council, especially after the disastrous results of the walkout. Most of her class had been grounded, and all had been reprimanded by their parents. Eventually, Marinette wore them down, but she could tell that their agreement was half-hearted. If MADSPISES failed, Marinette didn't know if they would trust her a third time.

Step three was the one where Marinette lied to Damian. She told him that step three was getting Ladybug and Chat Noir on board. In reality, step three was explaining to Alya that she needed to create the illusions of Marinette, Adrien, Nino, Luka, Kagami, Chloé, and herself while they went up against the Paris Council as their superhero selves. Alya was on board from the beginning. As she told Marinette, "You're my best friend. I trust you with anything."

Step four was organizing the protest in front of the school. Ladybug, Chat Noir, and the rest of the Miraculous Team were going to stand beside the students of Francois Dupont lycée in protest of the Paris Quarantine. Marinette got the word out to her friends that the protest would be held at noon exactly one week after the walkout. The news was discretely passed to the rest of the school.

Step five was organizing all of the research that Marinette and Damian did into a presentation that Marinette could give to the Paris Council. That was one of the harder steps, choosing which information to keep and which information to ignore, in order for her presentation to have the biggest effect on the Council.

Step six was the protest, planned for noon on November 4th. If all went well, Marinette would get an audience with the Paris Council, leading to step seven - the presentation. That would be the moment of truth. Marinette hoped that when faced with one of the citizens affected by their policies, the Paris Council would come to their senses. However, even if it didn't work, Marinette was comforted by the fact that Damian promised to keep helping her, no matter what.

On the morning of the second protest, Marinette woke up with anxiety pooling at the bottom of her stomach. She felt like she would throw up if anyone so much as looked at her. She couldn't go through with it. There was no way she could go through with her plan. It would crash and burn, just like her first plan. Marinette pulled out her phone, her fingers shaking so much she could barely type.

**[7:43 AM] Marinette: I can't do this.**

**Damian: Yes you can, I believe in you.**

**Marinette: No one is going to listen to me. This plan won't work.**

**Damian: It's alright if you fail. What isn't alright is if you never even try. If you give up now, you'll always wonder if this was the plan that would have saved Paris.**

Marinette sighed, her anxiety fading away. **Marinette: You're right. I'm leaving for school now.**

Damian texted her words of encouragement throughout the morning, as Marinette waited for noons to come. As soon as the clock hit noon, she and the rest of the Miraculous Team met behind the school.

"You know the plan, Rena?"

Rena nodded. "Cast the illusion of all of our civilian identities when we're outside the school. Once we get in front of the Justice League, I'll switch my illusion from Marinette to Ladybug, so that you can give the presentation as your civilian self."

Ladybug smiled. This was the moment of truth. "Let's go."

All seven superheroes landed in front of Françoise Dupont, surrounded by students from the school. "Marinette was right, Ladybug is on our side!" Ladybug heard Alix exclaim.

Ladybug took a deep breath, then spoke. "The Paris Council has ignored the wishes of the citizens of Paris for long enough. When there is a voice that wishes to speak, it merits being heard. As a citizen of Paris, Marinette Dupain-Cheng deserves to have her voice heard. Should the Paris Council refuse to listen, then Chat Noir and I will refuse to fight akumas. We will not defend an unjust government."

Batman had told Ladybug and Chat before, at their very first meeting, that their assistance was no longer needed. After seeing nearly three weeks of the Paris Council's response to akumas - to wait for Ladybug and Chat Noir to show up and stop them - Ladybug had determined that Batman was bluffing entirely. The Paris Council needed Ladybug and Chat Noir to fight akumas so that they could focus their energy on taking down Hawkmoth, a task that they had made little to no progress on over that past three weeks.

Illusion-Marinette took a step forward to stand beside Ladybug. "My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. You've ignored me once before, but you won't ignore me again. I have a list of demands from the students of Paris, and I demand the opportunity to present them to Justine Devaux, Head of the Paris Council."

It was at that moment that Batman showed up, in the same black car as before. "Ladybug, Chat Noir. Are you really going to endanger the lives of Paris's citizens over the demands of some schoolgirl?"

Chat glared at him, snarling, "I don't appreciate the disrespect that you're showing to one of my friends. Either you agree to let Marinette speak in front of the Paris Council, or the Justice League will be fighting akumas on their own."

"You can't intimidate me with threats," Batman snapped back.

"It isn't a threat, it's an ultimatum. The Miraculous Team has put up with injustice for long enough, now we're putting an end to it."

Suddenly, the passenger door of Batman's door opened up. Behind the black-tinted windows as Robin, Batman's sidekick. Ladybug tensed, not quite sure what her next step was. An unexpected superhero wasn't a part of her plan, now was it a part of her many contingency plans.

"I think you should listen to Ladybug," said Robin, his gaze flicking from Illusion-Marinette to Batman. "This Quarantine has proven unsuccessful so far, and outrage against the Justice League's methods has only grown in the past week since the school walk-outs."

"Get back in the car, Robin. I didn't bring you with me for your advice."

"I'm right, and you know it. Either you save your reputation by giving in to the demands of these second-rate heroes, or the whole world turns against you, forcing you to comply with their will. You choose."

Ladybug gasped. She had heard that phrase before, _'second rate heroes'_ , spoken in that exact tone, from _Damian._ Suddenly the dots were connecting in her head. Robin's height, coloring, and build - all identical to Damian. Damian's insistence that the Justice League was right, even in the face of directly contrary evidence. Damian's certainty that he could get Marinette out of Paris in an emergency. Damian was Robin.

"Fine," Batman snapped. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, get in the car. I'll take you to the Headquarters of the Paris Council, and you can speak to Justine Devaux."

"No," said Illusion-Marinette. "We're doing this on my terms. I'll meet you in the lobby of the Paris Council Headquarters, at five o'clock this evening."

It was a brilliant save on Rena's part. Ladybug needed a chance to detransform back into Marinette, and being stuck in a car with Batman sounded like torture. Also, Ladybug needed a chance to process that Damian Wayne, the boy she had crushed on for nearly three years, was a superhero.

"Have it your way. Five o'clock. Don't be late."

Batman stalked back to his car, slamming the door behind him. Robin followed him into the car but snuck one last glance at Illusion-Marinette before he shut the door behind him.

Back at home, Marinette let herself feel all the emotions that she was bottling up. The overwhelming emotion was deep, genuine love for Damian Wayne.


	19. Triumph

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette gives her presentation; for once, all goes well.

**[Wednesday November 4]**

Clearing her mind of all her anxieties, Marinette meditated as she walked to the Paris Council Headquarters - a modern glass building originally meant to be the Justice League Headquarters before it was taken over by the Paris Council. As she took the elevator up to the conference room, she took one last moment to review her presentation. It boiled down to three main points: economic concerns for the future of Paris, the totalitarian nature of the provisional government, and the emotional toll that the Quarantine was taking on its citizens. If the Paris Council cared at all for the people of Paris, hearing their plight would be enough to convince them to end the Quarantine. In the end, Marinette and Damian had come up with one final strategy - make the adults in the room feel ashamed to have disappointed the children of Paris.

The elevator doors opened up and an entire conference table of people was right in front of her. Justine Devaux, Head of the Paris Council, narrowed her eyes as she examined Marinette. Simon Lebreton gave Marinette an accusatory stare. There were also members of the Justice League present; more than Marinette expected. Batman and Robin were there, as well as Flash, Wonder Woman, and Nightwing. Everyone's eyes were on her, it was enough to bring back the anxiety that plagued Marinette that morning. But she looked into Robin's eyes, reminded herself of all the support that Damian had given her, and took one last steadying breath.

"My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Originally, I was going to bring a list of demands to read to you, but I've since realized that it's going to take a lot more than just hearing the problems to convince you to start fixing them." The accusation in Marinette's tone was unmistakable. "I'm disappointed in the Paris Council and I'm disappointed in the Justice League."

Nightwing opened his mouth to speak, but Marinette cut him off with a well-placed glare. "I am speaking now. I have had my voice ignored for long enough, I will not be spoken over."

"To begin, I would like to address the economic problems you have brought to the people of Paris. The Quarantine has shut down businesses all across Paris. The orders to stay inside as much as possible have crippled small businesses in Paris. I spoke to Jacqueline Andre the owner of Jacqueline's Crafts, a once-popular craft store in the heart of Paris. Her only source of income, Jacqueline has found herself struggling to make ends meet with the lack of demand for her business. This lack of demand was directly caused by the Paris Council's decision to discourage in-person commerce. The food ration only made the problem worse. Without exceptions made for restaurants and bakeries, they've all been forced to shut down, as they've been unable to supply themselves with ingredients. The Paris Quarantine has crippled the economy of this city.

Furthermore, I find this provisional government that you have established to be in direct contrary to the democratic ideals that this nation thrives on. The Justice League appointed every single member of the Paris Council, ignoring the fact that Paris already had a democratically elected Mayor. Without democratic elections, I cannot fathom how Paris is expected to trust that the Paris Council has our best interests at heart. Parisians have the right to representation. Frankly, it's totalitarian, how this Council has taken control of Paris.

Finally, I would like to briefly touch on the immense amount of emotional suffering that the people of Paris have gone through in the past three weeks. I've seen families struggling to make ends meet, parents separated from their children, spouses separated from each other. All across this city are people who are scared of what the future will bring - because of all of you. Paris certainly wasn't perfect before the Quarantine, but it was better than it is now."

Justine Devaux stood up. "Miss Dupain-Cheng, we cannot end the Quarantine until the Justice League has defeated Hawkmoth."

Marinette narrowed her eyes. "How far have you gotten with that?"

Devaux seemed slightly flustered at the question. "The Justice League's progress in that matter is irrelevant to the conversation. It doesn't change the fact that Hawkmoth is a threat."

"Hawkmoth is taking advantage of the hopelessness that the Quarantine is causing to fuel his akumas, can't you see that? The longer the Quarantine goes unchecked, the more likely Hawkmoth is to create an akuma strong enough to level Paris. If you really want to make this city safer, you'll end the quarantine."

"We must maintain the Quarantine, in order to fight the most effective fight against Hawkmoth."

Marinette could tell that she wasn't getting through to Devaux. "Ladybug and Chat Noir have spent three years fighting him. Even if they aren't perfect, they're still competent heroes. If they spent three years without any tangible progress, how soon do you expect to beat him? The Justice League should be working in partnership with Paris's superheroes. Maybe then you'll start making some progress. Maybe then the people of Paris will believe that you're actually trying to help them."

"I don't think you understand-"

Batman cut Devaux off. "This city means a lot to you, doesn't it?"

"Of course it does. Paris is my home. I want to see it flourishing, not suffering under the influence of the Quarantine."

Batman sighed. "I want you to know, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, that we had the best of intentions when we planned the Quarantine. It was supposed to lead to Hawkmoth's defeat, ultimately liberating the people of Paris from his threat. However, I can see now that our good intentions are misplaced. Paris has suffered due to this Quarantine, and our obstinance has only prolonged that suffering."

Marinette brightened up. "You'll end the Quarantine?" She had been holding out hope that she would find a way to convince the Paris Council of her cause - Marinette had never thought that she'd be able to convince Batman, the Head of the Justice League himself.

"I've been thoroughly convinced of my mistake, both by yourself and by my superhero partners." Batman nodded in the direction of Wonder Woman, Nightwing, Flash, and Robin. "The Justice League will take down the force field surrounding the city at midnight tonight."

Marinette held back an excited squeal. "Thank you!"

Wonder Woman spoke up, "It is us who should be thanking you, Marinette, for your persistence and determination in your quest to save Paris. Had you not continued fighting, even after every roadblock and setback, the Quarantine might have dragged out for months."

Marinette's eyes flicked over to Robin. "I would have given up, had I not had my friends to support me. I may be the figurehead of this protest, but I certainly wasn't the only child who went to incredible lengths to protect this city."

Robin gave Marinette a tiny nod, a confirmation of what she was already certain. Marinette smiled back at him, a thank-you for all he did for her. There was more to say between them, but the words could wait. Right now, Marinette had something to celebrate. She had good news to spread.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter (an epilogue between Marinette and Damian) will be posted in two days. Thanks everyone for following through with this story to the end of the Paris Quarantine!


	20. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette meets up with Damian; they have their happily ever after.

**[Saturday November 5]**

It was two days after The Wall came down and life was already returning to normal. Little by little, her city was recovering. The day prior, Ladybug had fixed all the damage she had ignored when she was avoiding using the Miraculous Cure. It was a relief, seeing all the destruction repaired. Marinette's family was recovering, too, as her parents had apologized to Marinette for not supporting her in her protests against the Quarantine. The bakery had gotten a new delivery of ingredients that morning, and the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie was all set to reopen the following day.

Marinette's only problem was what to do about Damian. She couldn't get the look that Robin had given Illusion-Marinette out of her head. He must have sensed that there was something off about the illusion, which led Marinette to believe that he might have figured out her secret.

On that brisk Saturday morning, Marinette decided to end the secrets between them. 

**[9:30 AM] Marinette: We both know each other's secrets. Meet me at the base of the Eiffel Tower at 10 o'clock**

**Damian: I'll be there.**

Marinette got dressed, putting on a lavender sweater and pale blue jeans. She knew that it wasn't actually a date, but that didn't stop her from trying to look pretty for Damian. She braided her hair back and tied off the end with one of her signature red ribbons.

As Marinette walked to the Eiffel Tower, she watched all the signs of her city coming back to life. Shops were reopening, people were back on the streets, parks were filled with the sounds of children playing. It brought a skip back into Marinette's step.

Damian was waiting for her underneath the Tower, a small bouquet of lavender and white roses in his hands. Marinette walked up to him, the smile on her face growing bigger and brighter. She threw her hands around him and pulled him into a hug.

"I never thought that I'd get to see you face to face," Marinette said as she let go of him. "I never thought that this day would happen."

Damian smiled, looking Marinette in the eyes, "Even if the Quarantine never happened, I was still planning on sending you plane tickets for Christmas."

"I'll still take you up on the offer," said Marinette. "I've heard that Gotham is pretty in the wintertime. But we'll have time to talk about that later. Now it's time to get down to business. I know that you're Robin and by now I'm sure that you figured out that I'm Ladybug."

Damian nodded, a slight frown on his face. "I still don't know how you figured it out so fast."

"Ladybug has enhanced problem-solving abilities," Marinette explained. "What I'm curious about is how you figured out that I'm Ladybug. The magic surrounding her is supposed to prevent anyone from figuring it out."

Damian shrugged. "I'm not sure. I just knew that the girl at the second protest wasn't you. There was just something off about her. Then I started connecting the dots Ladybug's resemblance to you, your certainty that you could get Ladybug involved - they all pointed to you being Ladybug."

"Are you upset about it?" asked Marinette. "Ladybug is a 'second-rate hero', after all."

A look of remorse passed over Damian's face. "I'm sorry that I said that. It was untrue. You're the greatest hero I've ever known."

Marinette smiled. "You'll just have to make it up to me, by paying for our ice cream."

Damian perked up as they started walking. "You're not mad?"

Shaking her head, Marinette responded, "You were right, I suppose. I was going about everything the wrong way, as Ladybug. I was trying to shoulder all of the burdens of my responsibility, and it came at the detriment of Paris. I didn't start making progress until I got someone to help me, and that person was you."

"You were the one who freed Paris. Even if I hadn't been there for you, I'm certain you would've gotten back up on your own. You're a very determined person."

"Well, I'm glad that you were there for me. It's nice to have a good friend like you."

They arrived at Andre's just as he was setting up his ice cream cart. "Marinette! Ice cream is on the house for the savior of Paris!"

Marinette smiled. "Thank you, Andre. By the way, this is my friend, Damian."

"For Damian, a scoop of raspberry, a scoop of blackberry for her hair, and a scoop of blueberry ice cream just like her blue eyes!"

"What?" asked Damian, confused.

Marinette explained, "Andre chooses the flavors based on his predictions for 'true love'. It's a bit odd, but it's just another part of Paris that I love."

Damian shrugged and accepted the ice cream.

"A new combination for you, Marinette. A scoop of blackberry, a scoop of lemon custard, and a scoop of my newest flavor - marbled green tea and graham cracker ice cream, just like his eyes."

Marinette took a tiny bite. "Interesting... and delicious! Thanks for the new flavor."

The duo kept walking along the banks of the Seine, making small talk. It was the perfect date, except that Marinette and Damian weren't dating.

Damian glanced behind him, then turned back around, rolling his eyes. "If you look behind you now, you can see my brother, who came to stalk us on our date."

Marinette glanced behind her A tall, dark-haired man in his mid-twenties was trying to make himself inconspicuous as he followed them. "I didn't know that this was a date."

Damian froze. "It could be, if that's what you want. If now, being friends with you is enough for me."

Marinette's lips quirked up in a smile. "I would love for this to be a date." 

Damian smiled too. "Good. Maybe for our second date, I can show you around Gotham when you come to visit."

Marinette rested her had against Damian's shoulder as they walked down the streets of Paris. "So which brother is following us right now?" she asked.

"Richard. The eldest."

Marinette had the sneaking suspicion that Damian wasn't the only superhero in his family. "Is he Nightwing?"

Damian nodded.

"Is Batman your father?" Marinette questioned, but she was already fairly certain of the answer.

"Yes. Is that going to be a problem, with you coming to visit after Christmas?"

Marinette shook her head. "I'm certainly not his biggest fan, but he's shown that he can change, and that's the most important part."

"Well, you'll be happy to know that he already got his punishment for the Quarantine. Wonder Woman shouted at him for almost an hour after I showed her some of the first-hand accounts we researched online. You certainly don't want to be yelled out by Wonder Woman. She can be terrifying."

Thirty minutes later, Marinette and Damian ended their walk right in front of the bakery. 

"I had a good time," said Marinette. "When are you returning to Gotham?"

"Our plane takes off tomorrow evening. However, I'm sure I could convince Father to let me stay longer."

Marinette shook her head. "I'll be in school all of next week, anyways."

Damian nodded. "Marinette, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Can I kiss you?"

Marinette blushed. "I would love that."

Damian's hands moved around her waist as he pulled her in for a kiss. Marinette wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him. His lips were softer than she had expected, and though their kiss was short, Marinette found herself breathless after it was over. It wasn't her first kiss, but it was her favorite by far.

"I'm going to miss you when you're gone," Marinette whispered.

"I'll always be here for you, Marinette."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe this fic is over! I hope everyone enjoyed reading it! 
> 
> Now that I've finished posting Quarantine, I'll start posting chapters of Lost and Found again (The next chapter should come out on Friday, if everything goes according to plan).


End file.
